


Traveler Entity

by AbleG



Series: No Entity's Sky [1]
Category: No Man's Sky (Video Game)
Genre: Beginning of relationship fluff, Betrayal of Trust, Cute lil robot friends, Drama, Excitement, Exploration, Fluff, M/M, Other, Pining, Romantic Fluff, Slow Burn, Space Adventure, The Atlas calls to us all, beginnings of pining, fluff and adventure, fools don't even know they're pining lol, jealous robots, manipulative scientists, procedurally generated OCs, shitty retail bosses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-02
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:47:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 31,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27356746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AbleG/pseuds/AbleG
Summary: A young Korvax robot is stationed on a far off planet, performing adequately at a job they aren't particularly fond of and dreaming of something greater. It seems an impossible dream until the trade outpost they work at gets an impossible visitor that carries with them the possibility of an expansive universe beyond all calculation and probability. Unfortunately, there are many dangers that accompany this strange Traveller, and Assistant Entity Hadrizahens will have to put his fears behind him to pursue his dreams.
Relationships: Korvax/Traveller (No Man's Sky)
Series: No Entity's Sky [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1997977
Comments: 5
Kudos: 15





	1. The Traveller Entity

**Author's Note:**

> It's been a damn while since I've had the time or willpower to write anything, and I'm getting back into it with one of my favorite games... By writing my own story within the universe! Because the main storyline where it stands gives me existential dread, and I'd really just rather play around in the creative space that Hello Games has built for us. I'm a slut for fantasy, post apocalypse, and sci-fi. What can I say? 
> 
> I don't know how far this series will go, but I'm almost done with the pilot arc and I'm confident that I'll be able to finish that much. At that point, it will be able to stand on it's own. I'm very bad at finishing projects, even though every project I've put up here is something I'm still very interested in and passionate about.

The morning was fresh. Optimal. The barometric pressure in the air signaled that there would be no storms of any kind to impede chores of any nature. Clouds were not present to block the light of the bright yellow sun cutting through the aqua-tinted sky. This would be a good day.

The Korvax designated; Merchant Assistant Entity Hadrizahens stirred more as they exited their recharge cycle. They felt refreshed after an interrupted stasis with good, sturdy materials to give life to the mechanical workings of their robotic casing. The small trade outpost that Hadrizahens called home had received good business lately, thanks to a passing band of Gek merchants who had purchased many supplies for their unintentionally lengthened journey. Merchant Assistant Entity Hadrizahens held somewhat of a distrust for the small, organic creatures known as the Gek, but they were still pleased to receive their trade and even more pleased to have a good supply of condensed carbon to replenish their power. 

No… His power.

Hadrizahens felt a small electrical shudder shoot up his nanotubes. It was silly of him to identify himself as a biological entity, as he was nothing more than a young Echo, housed within a casing that had been passed down by his people for generation to generation. Gender was a concept understood by the Korvax, but not one that they needed in their own society. Such behavior would seem illogical to others of his kind, or worse, divergent. However, Hadrizahens had no qualms keeping his secrets. Especially when they seemed so harmless to him. He was not a Korvax that had settled into his designation well. He understood that every Korvax was a cog in a much greater machine put into place to keep the greater whole moving forward, but he had always wondered why another Korvax could not just simply take his place so he could pursue his truer passions. 

Merchant Assistant Entity Hadrizahens wanted desperately to be redesignated as Biological Research Entity Hadrizahens. His central processor and his core sang in tandem during the night cycles, creating simulated scenarios of him going to far off planets and making new discoveries for the Explorer’s Guild, and to add to the wealth of knowledge that was the Convergence of his people once it was his time to add his consciousness. These simulations gave him a thrill deep inside his casing that he could not put into words, nor could he explain them to Merchant Entity Taudi, Taskmaster Entity Orzhoku, or least of all Scientist Entity Podoim who were all stationed at the small trading post with Hadrizahens. None of them would understand. All he knew is that he must keep such illogical follies to himself, and imagine himself integrating into a biological cultural mindset; the easiest way to do that was to secretly designate himself with a gender identity.

The hermetic door to Hadrizahens’ small recharging room hissed as the lock released and suddenly slid open. Hadrizahens started as a mass of dark grey synthetic material came stomping in quickly. The cuboid head of the other Korvax was inclined towards Hadrizahens and the illuminated circular scanners implanted in the rectangular screen were flashing an orange-yellow color of irritation.

“Merchant Assistant Entity Hadrizahens takes their time in rebooting today? Unacceptable. Conditions are optimal. All assigned tasks can be completed in a highly efficient timeframe.” Merchant Entity Taudi said in a deep, mechanical bark.

“Affirmative… It has been noted that conditions are optimal. I seem to be… Rebooting slowly this solar cycle. After a brief Maintenance check, this Entity will be primed to perform all assigned tasks.” Hadrizahens responded in kind, keeping his tone as steady as he could. He didn’t want Taudi to sense his unease. Thankfully, Taudi seemed to view themselves as a higher entity despite only running a trading outpost on a rather damp planet in a particularly hazardous star system. Never once had Taudi shown any interest in connecting their mind to Hadrizahens and sharing streams of consciousness, so Hadrizahens could get away with very simple lies.

“Report promptly; there is little daylight to waste. Scanners indicate further activity approaching the system. Large freighter with a small fleet. Analysis; prime targets for trade.” Merchant Entity Taudi explained shortly. Hadrizahens inclined his head slightly, observing Taudi with confusion. Did the older Entity truly think that, out of the entire solar system, these new strangers would choose to barter here? Granted, Cireenob XV was far and away the most inhabitable planet in the Rigusu-Ril I system for all forms of life, but that didn’t mean by default that any strangers to the system would choose this particular trading post over any of the larger outposts instead. Hadrizahens knew better than to argue this logical point with his superior, though. 

“I will ensure Outpost Rugo 395 is functioning properly.” Hadrizahens informed Taudi.

The yellow light flashing on Merchant Entity Taudi’s visor blinked a few times more, then cooled to a softer green color. Not quite the neutral blue state, but they were no longer as agitated. “See that it happens. Report to Taskmaster Orzhoku for assignments.” And then, Taudi turned around and departed.

If inorganic lifeforms could sigh, the exhalation of breath that Hadrizahens would have released would have been audible from across the room. Instead, he simply stood up from his chair and began to run diagnostics to ensure his casing was running at full capacity. Though Merchant Assistant Entity Hadrizahens wished for a new designation, he wasn’t displeased with his current one. He did his job, and he did it well and without complaint. Even when assigned more illogical tasks such as altering the paint on the outside of the outpost in order to attract the attention of potential organic customers, especially with no data to back up which colors the lifeforms would prefer. It was simply that the company he kept at the small trading outpost was… unpleasant. 

Merchant Entity Taudi was mostly a no-nonsense Korvax who didn’t have time to run simulations or calculate hypotheticals, unless the conclusions resulted in profits. They found Hadrizahens’ more theoretical mind to be tiresome, and would sometimes assign Hadrizahens with more tasks to complete throughout the day to keep him out of the way. It was because of this that Hadrizahens avoided glancing in Taudi’s direction as the other Korvax Entity sorted through a merchandise manifesto on their datapad, ignoring Hadrizahens in turn as the younger Entity exited his private bunk. Taudi stood next to an illuminated table, strewn with several other datapads and data storage devices while a Korvax with a sickly green casing and off white detailing passed a parcel of ferite between its hands. Hadrizahens recognized the other Korvax as Podoim. 

Scientist Entity Podoim wasn’t truly a resident of the outpost, as they worked at the observatory on the edge of the Zadank Jungle, not far away from the Urtam Ranges where the trade post was built. Scientist Entity Podoim would often come to the trade post under the guise of purchasing additional supplies for the observatory, though many of the supplies needed were either maintained on site, or shipped by Merchant Entity Taudi in advance. Hadrizahens used to see these extra visits as a blessing, being a Korvax Entity with an interest in science himself, but it became quite clear early on that Podoim was not only curt and rude, but their only interest was in Taudi. 

The merchant and the scientist would spend large portions of the day together while Hadrizahens and Taskmaster Orzhoku would work on their assignments and chores. Hadrizahens had a strong suspicion that the two Korvax would head to a back room and spend the time connecting their consciousnesses and sending elicit electrical impulses between their link. But that wasn’t the sort of thing that was polite to ask about in Korvax society. What the two consenting higher ranked Entities did in their time together was their business. Hadrizahens just wished they wouldn’t do it on company time, or treat everyone else as a waste of time as a result.

Hadrizahens felt the scientist’s sensors on him as he shuffled past the two Korvax as quietly as he could, not bothering to greet either one of them as doing so might only irritate them further. He didn’t relax until the door slid shut behind him once entering the main sales floor. 

The room was circular, as was the rest of the outpost, but it was much more clean and free of clutter than the rest. In the center sat a small station, separated by blue holographic walls that gave an illusion of privacy should a customer wish to sit and do any bartering. Along the walls were tables and comfortable chairs to allow the customers to take a break and enjoy the sight of the small planters that decorated the space that grew assorted native plants from different areas of the planet. A circular terminal was embedded in one of the walls next to yet another sliding door that led to the landing pad outside. This terminal was connected to the Galactic Trade Market, where customers might be able to conduct business on a larger scale. Beside that was the counter where Merchant Entity Taudi would peddle assorted blueprints or ship upgrades or even supplies should the customers be more interested in any discounts that were being offered outside of the Galactic Market.

A third Korvax stood next to the counter, polishing the surface with a cloth of synthetic microfibers to ensure a high gloss finish. This Korvax bore a more oblong helmet with two fin-like antennae protruding from either side of the faceplate. It’s casing was more stooped and worn than most, but none of the washed out brown paint was chipping. The casing was well-maintained, but it was old, and the Echo housed inside of it was also very old. Hadrizahens understood that this Entity, Taskmaster Entity Orzhoku had once been the merchant at this outpost, but had been redesignated as a Groundskeeper/Maintenance Entity once they had begun to age. Then, once Hadrizahens had been assigned, he had taken over the old Korvax’s job, relieving the older entity of the wear and tear of manual labor. 

Hadrizahens had no way of knowing how old Orzhoku was, but he knew that this entity in particular had stayed in this casing for a very long time. Hadrizahens’ own casing had been brought back to the collective and officially refurbished before his own Echo was born and housed within, but Orzhoku’s casing seemed as though it hadn’t seen any thorough maintenance for quite some time. Orzhoku had simply lived his inorganic life on the outpost and had never entered a scenario in which his Echo disconnected or rejoined the Convergence. This was quite a feat when considering how… odd… Orzhoku could act from time to time. Too much data downloaded inside of the old Korvax, perhaps. Not enough memory space. Then again, Orzhoku had never shown any REAL signs of becoming Divergent to the Convergence, so perhaps it wasn’t so odd.

A pleasant mechanical chirping whir came from deep within Taskmaster Orzhoku as the entity turned to observe Hadrizahens, the illumination filaments in his visor pulsing a warm color. 

“Good morning, young Entity. It seems as though this casing is fully recharged and prepared for a full Sol of labor!” The old voice rasped out, as though the audio processors needed to be oiled. It was not an unpleasant sound, though. Not to Hadrizahens. 

“Affirmative. This Entity is ready to perform all assigned tasks. Weather conditions are optimal and likelihood of commerce is reported as likely.” Hadrizahens replied formally, though the sing-song tone in his vocal processors betrayed him.

Orzhoku ground out a sound similar to a chuckle, shaking their head. “You exchanged data with Entity Taudi already, then?”

Sensing the almost mocking tone in Orzhoku’s voice, Hadrizahens was taken aback. The amount of emotion that Orzhoku was comfortable displaying at times startled even him. “Affirmative. I have not ran the scenario probability, but the numbers will most likely differ from Merchant Entity Taudi’s own calculations.”

“Indeed they will… Eheu, I sense something might change in Taudi’s calculations’ favor, if not in Taudi’s best interest…”

“Elaborate? Please?” 

Orzhoku inclined his head towards Hadrizahens and then gestured to the younger entity to follow him outside. The rush of fresh, oxygenated air hit Hadrizahens’ sensors as soon as the doors opened. The air was warm and wet, as expected on a tropical planet. The nitrogen content within the atmosphere was also quite high. As his sensors had told him from inside, the day was an optimal day for chores. Orzhoku still seemed troubled. 

The elder Entity scanned the horizon, his gaze falling far beyond the rolling hills of fuchsia grass towards the jungles and the great hills beyond. “I sense an unrest. Like a grinding deep within my filaments and synthetic material.”

“An unrest?”

“Something has awoken on our little planet, and I fear that it may not be to our benefit.”

Hadrizahens processed these ominous words carefully. Did Orzhoku truly sense something stirring with his old casing? Or was this simply a sign that his old Echo was finally losing it’s grasp on the Convergence and would soon need to be called back and replaced? 

“...That or it may work out for some of us, at least. It is hard to say. Who knows the true devisings of The Atlas and it’s Host of Sentinels? Not the Korvax. No. At least, not yet.” Orzhoku spoke more dismissively.

“The Atlas? You invoke The Atlas?” Hadrizahens stared in shock at the Taskmaster. What did the Great and Powerful, Allseeing and All-knowing Creator of all things have to do with a strange feeling in Orzhoku’s old carapace?

“The Atlas has a hand in all things, young Echo, whether or not It calculates the outcomes with great attention and care. Do stay vigilant while you perform your tasks today, will you? I would hate to be right about my illogical hunch.” Orzhoku spoke more softly as he indicated to the external housing and power unit for the outpost’s dehumidifier. “Merchant Entity Taudi says that a large amount of organic material and fauna have stopped up the works and I would have to agree. It feels as though the humidity is rusting This Entity’s joints as we speak.”

“It will be completed efficiently.” Hadrizahens responded quickly. 

“Good. I know you dislike disposing of the rotting organic material, but it must be done. Entity Taudi must be kept happy, after all.”

And with that, Orzhoku went back inside the outpost, leaving Hadrizahens to his first task of the day.

* * *

Disposing of organic material inside the dehumidifier unit was far from a pleasant job. Hadrizahens was lucky that he lacked an acute sense of smell that was impossible to turn off; the collection tanks that held the still water pulled from the air would sit in the warm, tropical air outside the outpost all day for a week before it needed to be purged. The smell that resulted was nothing short of rancid. 

The dehumidifier also ran on an older system, since the outpost’s internal atmosphere was maintained within a sealed bubble; the planet’s atmosphere had no effect on the internal structure. However, the atmosphere and pressure needed to be maintained at all times for any potential organic guests, so air would be cycled from the outside through several large vents, purified and dehumidified, and pumped into the outpost itself. There was no risk of contamination between the outside air and inside the outpost, thanks to the filtration unit, but the initial intake outside of the base was fair game to anything small enough to fit through the vents. This was what made the job truly unpleasant.

Hadrizahens carefully disconnected the outer plate of the vent system with a few of his tools, pulling it from the housing as carefully as he could to avoid anything spilling out. The vents also had a habit of growing a thick slime on them when maintenance was not routine. Within the first layer of vents at the intake, there were clumps of rotting plant matter suctioned onto the surface as well as a number of insects and even a few unfortunate rodents. The worst of this job was that Hadrizahens wasn’t simply allowed to dispose of the decomposing organic material. No, he was made to collect it inside of a small, aluminum bucket which he would transport to the biofuel reactor to recycle into power for the outpost. Dying material never yielded much electrical output, but Taudi was always looking for ways to increase profits.

Hadrizahens was in the middle of the repugnant process of scraping a large mass of what APPEARED to be some sort of… furry plant… when his sensors alerted him to movement behind him. Still focused on Orzhoku’s ominous warnings, Hadrizahens swiveled his head around quickly to see what might be approaching him from behind. As a Korvax outpost, there were no firearms or weapons of any kind located on the premises other than those Merchant Entity Taudi had acquired for resale, and those were certainly off limits for use. The stringent Korvax religion prohibited violence or destruction of any kind, so, as a practitioner himself. Hadrizahens was unarmed. That didn’t stop him from gripping the spoon-like collection tool more tightly in his hand.

He stared out into the expanse of grassland that he had once viewed so beautiful. The vibrant fuchsia color of the grass stretching towards the bright turquoise sky, the bushes that stamped the rolling grassland with green and orange colors, the glowing bulbs of the flowers with their orange stems, and the tall, blue trees in the distance… It seemed much less inviting now that he was all alone. He saw the tall grass rustle a few meters out from where he crouched on the dirt, right where the wild nature of the planet met the bubble of civilization that had been carved out for the outpost. Briefly, he thought he saw a flash of cold, crimson light. It chilled his circuits and rooted him to the spot. Unable to move, unable to process data, he was frozen in this glimmer of scarlet that worked its way through his casing, threatening to swallow him up like a tundra sea. But then it was gone, along with the feeling of dread that gripped him. And Hadrizahens was left sitting alone.

Up in the sky, the young Korvax spotted a trail of green emulsion he recognized as the thrusters of a small, one manned spacecraft. The color stood out brightly against the aqua sky, even in the daylight as the craft flew close enough for Hadrizahens to see. It appeared to be a fighter class due to its small, slim build. At first, Hadrizahens felt a shock of fear through his body, still remembering the red light. Was this a pirate? Or a Bounty Hunter? This part of the galaxy was teeming with dangerous lowlifes, as it was far away from the Galactic Center and regulations were few… But as the craft flew over the outpost, it suddenly slowed and turned back. 

Hadrizahens watched it approach the landing pad carefully, though the landing pad was located on the other side of the structure from where he was working. The loud, smooth sound of the combustion engine lowered as the internal mechanical workings cooled and the ship landed as gently as a leaf on the sand. The only sound that gave away the landing of the elegant vessel was the familiar creaking of the old metal on the landing pad settling under the added weight of a ship and it’s passenger. The engine died to a very low hum and the seal on the cockpit hissed as it depressurized and opened for the unknown guest. That hiss was met with the sound of the landing pad door opening and the clacking of boots briskly stomping out to meet the stranger and welcome them officially. 

Hadrizahens heard Merchant Entity Taudi’s voice issue a standard greeting to the unknown traveler, but his internal regulator seemed to hit a hiccup when Taudi’s voice faltered and stopped mid-greeting. Taudi started back up again in a much more excited flurry of exclamations that Hadrizahens couldn’t quite make it out over the still settling engine of the fighter, not until Taudi raised his voice.

“TASKMASTER ENTITY ORZHOKU; ASSES THE HABITABILITY AND COMFORT OF THE OUTPOST AND ACCOMMODATE APPROPRIATELY FOR THE HONORED GUEST.” 

Hadrizahens nearly dropped his bucket full of organic sludge into his lap in surprise at the sudden loud exclamation. Honored guest? What sort of honorable person would be visiting their trading post out on the edge of the galaxy? Especially one that Marchant Entity Taudi was willing to identify as honorable? Multiple possibilities began to flood Hadrizahens’ excitable processor as he imagined many different, affluent entities from all the known races in the galaxy. He was unaware that Taskmaster Entity Orzhoku had exited the outpost while Taudi was left babbling to the guest. It caught him off guard when Orzhoku gripped him by the shoulder plate and lifted him off of the ground with a strength he had no idea the old Korvax possessed.

“Come inside, young Echo. This is a once in an Echo Cycle event you will need to take part in.”

Confused but deeply intrigued and thrilled to be invited to take part in whatever was going on, Hadrizahens followed Taskmaster Entity Orzhoku inside just as Merchant Entity Taudi escorted the stranger inside. 

The stranger was encased in an exosuit rather than housed in a casing like an electronic lifeform. A quick preliminary scan of the lifeform revealed it to be organic beneath the protective shell of synthetic cloth and technology. It was far too tall to be a Gek, but not quite muscular enough to be even a young Vy’keen. Further data scans of the lifeform’s species of origin drew a blank from the Korvax knowledge pool, which meant only one thing. One incredible, inconceivable, impossible solution.

“Traveler Entity! An Honor to receive you. The Atlas’s Chosen. You are welcome here for trade.”


	2. Meeting the Traveller Entity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hadrizahens, the young Korvax, meets a Traveller. This is a rare honor, and is very exciting... but it doesn't quite go as expected. After all, there are three other equally curious Korvax present.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah so this part probably should have just been added onto the first, but I didn't think hard enough about layout and structure and story length... so here we are. I'll do better next time.

Hadrizahens was too overloaded with excitement to do anything but stand just inside the hermetic doorway and stare at the visage of the Traveller. A real Traveller, right before him. Songs of this Traveler iteration had been sung along the consciousness of the Korvax for some time now. Even Hadrizahens, the Merchant Assistant Entity had heard them in his recharge cycles this far out in the corner of the galaxy. But to have a Traveller standing before him? This was certainly too much.

Before the Great Disconnection, when the Korvax home world had not yet been destroyed by the First Spawn and their Convergence of Echoes had not yet been lost, there were prophecies of the Travellers; visions gifted to the Korvax and other faithful races to The Atlas that showed the ultimate inevitability of a new race of people coming forth to the galaxy. What they were exactly and their purpose was widely unknown, but The Atlas had imparted with them a sense of great importance in these beings that would traverse the stars of many worlds, unfettered. They were to be unhindered and helped.

Hadrizahens had never known what to expect a Traveller to look like in person. Perhaps he had envisioned something more analogous to a Korvax. Something more mechanical than biological. Something encased in a glow, like that which accompanied the familiar glow of the Convergence. He had never given any thought to a Traveller being organic before. Strictly biological. And he was fascinated.

The exosuit the Traveller wore revealed that it’s body structure was at least similar to the basic frame of a Korvax, though clearly biological. Hadrizahens recognized the dome atop the Traveller’s head to be a helmet, though the shape of it and the tinted visor reminded him of the visor of a Korvax, or rather an empty casing. There was no flicker of light, no indication of electrical life behind it. He knew it was because the lifeform’s essence manifested differently than the Korvax, but something about it was still haunting. So similar, and yet utterly unfamiliar. The Traveller also bore a large multi-tool at its hip, a jetpack upon its back, and it’s exosuit was the color of the aqua sky outside mixed with golden tan detailing. The plating it wore on it’s chest made it seem more Korvax and familiar, as there was a circle of blue light illuminated to show that the exosuit was online, if not the entity wearing it. Hadrizahens wanted to know more. 

Something seemed to put the Traveller Entity ill at ease, and it shuffled in its exosuit as it looked at all four of the Korvax Entities staring at it motionlessly.

“I beg of you… I do not require worship. Only the assistance of an allegiance and… materials.” The Traveller finally spoke in broken sentences but smooth syllables. Its voice was low but unlike the synthesized hum of the Korvax voice. It spoke like the wind that swept over the hills, as that was what it’s voice was made of. Air itself. Utterly foreign but speaking familiar words, wishing to make a connection with their consciousnesses.

“This Entity is attentive. Traveler Entity must designate which materials they require.” Merchant Entity Taudi replied with as much reverence as he could manage while still trying to make a sale. 

The Traveller took a sharp breath of air into its lungs and shifted its weight to its other foot, still fidgeting in some form of unknown discomfort. Hadrizahens wished he could scan the lifeform and find the source of it’s distress.

“...Traveller Entity might elaborate on their mission here?” Taskmaster Entity Orzhoku offered gently, and to everyone’s surprise, the Traveller seemed to relax a bit.

“A mission. From the… Great Collective Who Fight. The ones stronger, to protect the weak.” The Traveller explained slowly while making grand hand gestures to instill some sort of other meaning that none of the Korvax could interpret.

“Great Collective Who Fight…?” Scientist Entity Podoim repeated slowly, carefully analyzing the sagely words of The Atlas’s Chosen. “...The Mercenary Guild?”

“Yes!” 

A wash of relief and accomplishment washed over the small group of Korvax, having successfully decoded the strange and otherworldly patterns of communication employed by the Traveller. Solving such a puzzle was a great reward for all of them and they were eager to continue conversing with this foreign entity.

“The Mercenary Guild gave Entity designation Traveller a mission to complete. Mission details? Confidential?” Scientist Entity Podoim asked, leaning forward in the chair that he had not yet risen from. Hadrizahens felt a twinge of unease as he saw the lights in Podoim’s visor flicker with a scientific hunger as they observed the Traveller closely, obviously recording its reactions.

“No, not confidential. There is an enemy. a… Pirate? Yes. This One needs supplies to stop the enemy. This One will set up a base, if allowed? A close base… for supplies. Until the pirate enemy is stopped.” The Traveller explained slowly, once again waving its hands as it spoke in an almost hypnotic fashion. Hadrizahens was entranced, at least. 

“Traveller Entity is welcome to set up a base and engage in trade. Korvax Entities will be accommodating in all things.” Merchant Entity Taudi assured the Traveller, bowing their head respectfully.

The Traveller mimicked the gesture, though more stiffly. The tension in its movement and muscles betrayed its continued discomfort.

“Traveller Entity will provide data in exchange.” Scientist Entity Podoim finally got to their feet and before a word of protest could be uttered on the Traveller’s behalf, even by the Traveller itself, Podoim had withdrawn a needle from a panel in their arm and stabbed the Traveller in the shoulder. Podoim extracted a sample of its biological material quickly and stepped back before the Traveller could push them away, plugging the syringe back into their arm and connecting a few nodules to the tool. Hadrizahens watched, affronted, as Podoim analyzed the material in front of the Traveller. Certainly it was rude of them to steal matter from The Atlas’s Chosen without any consent… though he would admit that it was a very tempting prospect. 

The Traveller seemed to agree with Hadrizahens’ thoughts, as it began barking in some unknown language at the scientist. It was clearly agitated. Hadrizahens had observed behavior such as this in the local fauna when their membrane had been compromised by another lifeform and their biological material had leaked. Hadrizahens wondered if the Traveller had any hackles to raise under his exosuit like the creatures here did. Podoim found the response equally fascinating and began to record the sounds and take rapid notes, which only served to agitate the Traveller further.

“Traveler Entity must forgive That One. Korvax Entity designation Scientist is equipped with a curious mind.” Orzhoku quickly apologized.

Surprisingly, the Traveller seemed to calm down at this. “Understood. This One also has a scientist entity. Equally curious and damaging.”

Sensing that now was the opportune time to conduct business, Merchant Entity Taudi stepped between the Traveller and Scientist Entity Podoim to stop the scientist from conducting further tests on their customer. “Follow, Traveler Entity. Browse the supplies and purchase what is required. Return to the mission. We will aid how we can. It is an honor.”

The Traveller followed Taudi to the center table to do business dealings in propper, casting one last hesitant glance to Podoim. There was clear distrust about the Traveller towards Podoim at this point.

“ASSISTANT ENTITY HADRIZAHENS.” 

Hadrizahens jumped at the sudden audio input from his superior, standing more tall and alert as he looked at Taudi.

“Yes, Merchant Entity Taudi?” Hadrizahens answered quickly but politely. He was aware of everyone’s attention on him.

“Retrieve the shipment manifest for our Honored Guest.” Merchant Taudi spoke curtly. His order was swift, just like he expected Hadrizahens to be. The Traveller seemed to wilt even further as it sat in one of the chairs.

Embarrassed and frazzled to be addressed as such a lowly working class Korvax in front of such an esteemed guest. He certainly did not wish to make a poor impression on top of being outed as an Assistant Korvax. With a nod of compliance, he shuffled with purpose into the back room, locating the datapad Taudi was scrolling through earlier that day sitting on a disorganized table full of data structures. He picked up the datapad swiftly and returned to Taudi with it. 

As he approached, Hadrizahens was shocked to see that the Traveller was tracking his movement with his helmet. There was no clear indication of a built in analysis visor, but Hadrizahens still felt the Traveller’s gaze on him. It had a strange effect on his circuitry. He realized just how close he was to this… holy being. This lifeform that had come from The Atlas itself. This creature of unknown potential was observing HIM. It took everything he had in him to keep his hand from trembling as he passed the datapad to Taudi.

With a small buzz of annoyance and a flash of yellow light, Merchant Entity Taudi snatched the datapad out of Hadrizahens’ hand and typed in the input codes to bring up the manifests. Taudi clearly had discussed what the Traveller was looking to purchase while Hadrizahens had been in the other room. The Traveller’s gaze was still fixed on Hadrizahens, and Hadrizahens felt as though the eyes of his God were fixed upon him.

“Peace, Young Echo. I will do you no harm.” The Traveller spoke this time with no hesitation in its words. Hadrizahens turned to look directly at the Traveller’s visor, surprised. The Traveller let out a soft, airy sound that Hadrizahens could only identify as a gentle chuckle. Was it amused, or was it endeared?

“Ignore Assistant Entity Hadrizahens. That Entity is young and often illogical.” Taudi said dismissively as he grew more impatient with his disorganized list.

“Illogicality is not always necessary to disregard… even for Korvax Entities.” The Traveller spoke, still watching Hadrizahens. “...What is your input, Hadrizahens?”

Shocked to be addressed so informally and so warmly by the Traveller, Hadrizahens had little time to think of a response. Especially not to THAT question. Especially not in THIS company. The Traveller chuckled again. Knowingly this time. Somehow, without possessing any form of mechanical scanner functions, this entity had read Hadrizahens’ reactions and predicted the correct response.

The Traveller returned its attention to Taudi as soon as Taudi made a beeping noise of triumph as soon as he located the data he sought. The transaction for materials would begin and Hadrizahens would not have a chance to speak with the Traveller again. He had missed his opportunity, and that caused a great sadness to rush through him, if Korvax were capable of feeling such things. Full of regret, Hadrizahens gave the Traveller one last glance as he walked back over to Taskmaster Orzhoku for further assignment, should Taudi require his tasks to be redirected for the sake of the Traveller. Orzhoku seemed to sense the change in the younger Korvax’s demeanour and offered some quiet words of comfort.

“The Traveller Entity wishes to set up a temporary base planetside. Something close to us for supplies but also close enough to not be suspicious if detected by its quarry. There will certainly be more opportunities to hear its wisdom.” 

“I hope so…”


	3. Sentinel Attack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hadrizahens makes the decision that he should go to speak with the Traveller Entity. After all, Hadrizahens is an aspiring biologist. The Traveller must have all sorts of knowledge from its journey across the stars. After all, what could possibly go wrong?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm editing things ever so slightly. This series is going to be episodic, but I'll be moving the uploads into chapters if they're in the same story arc. Bare with me, I'm just trying to do this in a way that makes any sense.

Several sols had passed since the Traveller had set up its base on the ridge bordering the grasslands and the jungle. The little temporary outpost sat snuggly between the trading outpost and Scientist Entity Podoim’s observatory, which greatly pleased both Podoim and Taudi. The Traveller was around for trade and scientific inquiry, though oftentimes the two Korvax would have to seek the Traveller out themselves. The Traveller was quite busy with its missions and didn’t often spend much time at either establishment. Thanks to the multi-tool that the Traveller always carried with it, its base took little time at all to construct from the materials provided graciously by Taudi. Hadrizahens had hoped that perhaps he might be tasked to deliver the supplies to the Traveller’s base, but the Traveller always transported the materials itself. Hadrizahens also had a suspicion that the Traveller was procuring materials itself.

Though it was against the core beliefs of the Korvax to unethically take resources from any planets’ surface, other lifeforms didn’t seem to have these regulations. It didn’t surprise Hadrizahens that the Traveller might go off to extract metals from the caves or harvest carbon from the plant life, but it did concern him. After all, the reason WHY harvesting materials in this way was against the beliefs of the Korvax was because of the Sentinels. The little drones no bigger than the helmet casing of a Korvax buzzed around on almost every planet, scanning everything their ocular lenses could register and maintaining the peace. Guardians of The Atlas’s creation, the Sentinels were, and they never took kindly to any destruction of the creation. This was why Hadrizahens was concerned for the Traveller.

Of course, there was the chance that the Travellers were excluded from these rules by The Atlas itself. Truth be told, there wasn’t much known about the Travellers at all. If not, surely a Traveller would know better than to incur the wrath of the Sentinel swarms. Hadrizahens still found his gaze falling towards the ridge that cradled the Traveller’s base whenever he was outside doing maintenance or chores. At times, the young Korvax would find himself wandering towards the base. Just to check in on the Traveller. It would be polite, after all. And it wasn’t as though he would bother the Traveller. Whenever he wandered close to the base, he would make sure that he would keep a safe distance to respect the Traveller’s privacy, and to be able to deny any accusations of slacking off should Merchant Entity Taudi spot him away from his duties. 

Hadrizahens would find himself walking down the trodden down grass path to the ridge on a daily basis, just to make sure the Traveller was still doing well. He was fascinated with watching the Traveller work on its base, performing similar maintenance tasks to the ones that Hadrizahens would have to do at the outpost. It sent a thrill through his circuits to discover that they shared some common ground in that way, since the Traveller Entity was just so alien to him. But Hadrizahens would never approach. He was far too intimidated by the entity, and he was aware of his own insignificant status at the outpost. There was really no reason for them to interact. He envied Podoim and Taudi for being able to speak freely with the Traveller at their own leisure. 

But there was something else about the Traveller that kept Hadrizahens at a distance. He couldn’t quite place the sensation that would rise up in his systems whenever he watched the Traveller work on his fighter craft. There appeared to be many modifications made to the craft, though Hadrizahens never got close enough to give the ship a good scan, and he was not familiar with spacecraft upgrade technology to begin with. He recognized a few things at a glance, like the weightier thrusters that hinted at a powerful pulse engine and an impressive hyperdrive system. This would make perfect sense for a Traveller. As the name would imply, Travellers were nomadic and preferred to spend their time exploring the galaxy as much as possible… or at least, that was Hadrizahens’ understanding of them. But the galaxy was a dangerous place, and to be able to traverse it as freely as a Traveller might, one would need protection. The Traveller’s craft bore many heavy modifications to the weapon system as well. 

Hadrizahens was not fond of violence, like many Korvax. He himself had never touched a firearm in his entire life. Even looking at the weapons that would come through the trading post from time to time would make Hadrizahens feel nervous. Possessing a weapon would only communicate to other lifeforms that you were dangerous and something to be feared, which would only inspire more fear and violence. The Traveller certainly had plenty of weaponry both on its person and spliced into its spacecraft. Hadrizahens was wary of the Traveller who had come to their base, seeking out a bounty on a wanted criminal. Though there were societal benefits to stopping lawbreakers, keeping the peace, and protecting the innocent, Hadrizahens simply could not fathom how anyone would willingly choose to enter into such a violent and dangerous profession. What sort of creature WAS the Traveller underneath its exosuit and at its very core?

Despite his fear, Hadrizahens felt as though he simply had to know.

* * *

The [Cirecnob XV] lunar cycle had begun and the trading outpost had all been shut down for adequate recharging. Only a few core functions powered by batteries were left on, in case a visitor stopped in the night. Merchant Entity Taudi preferred to keep the outpost this way, even if the power output was inefficient in proportion to the sales they might make. Taudi had decreased the inefficiency by attaching the batteries to a solar power network, so at least they wouldn’t waste energy resources by staying open all night long. Taudi had also ensured that his stasis rests would stay as light as they could manage, so they might be able to attend to any customers late at night. Any movement in the sales floor would trigger the sensors and Taudi would be woken from their sleep to greet the guests. This was what would make sneaking out of the outpost the biggest challenge for Hadrizahens.

Before shutting everything down for the evening, Hadrizahens had been assigned to clean the dust and organic particulates off of the chairs, tables, and the floor. Using this excuse, Hadrizahens had located the motion scanners and placed a thumb sized glob of organic waste from the dehumidifier system over the lense just in time for the system to calibrate for the evening. His hopes were that the small organisms in the slime would confuse the sensors enough so that he could slip out of the outpost without raising Taudi from their rest. As long as he moved slowly enough through the sales floor, he should be able to make it according to his calculations.

Standing at the door to the sales floor, Hadrizahens centered himself with the statistics of his success. The numbers weren’t running as high as he would have wanted them to be, but he kept adding extra variables into the scenarios. What if the slime had dripped off? What if he hadn’t waited long enough? Should he come up with a more convincing excuse than what he had should he be caught? No. No, these additional variables were irreliven and only serving to hamper his progress and affect his performance. He shook his head as he purged the unnecessary variables from his processor and finally took a step forward. The door sensed his approach and a little light at the center blinked on to acknowledge the flow of power through the circuitry. The lock clicked and the seal hissed as the door slid open to allow Hadrizahens passage.

The sales floor was dimly lit with an underglow of red light and a slight blue fluorescence from the Galactic trade terminal and Hadrizahens relaxed. If the system was going to power back on due to the movement of the door, at least, it would have done so already. Feeling much more confident about his plan, he stepped forward into the room as carefully and quietly as he could. The routine maintenance of his casing and his precise electronic mind worked in tandem to ensure that his movements were not only slow, but smooth and precise. Hadrizahens glided across the floor steadily without a sudden jerk or a single extra motion of his body. Each step, though nearly silent, was a small agony for him. He couldn’t reduce the sound of his boots hitting the metallic floor to absolute zero decibels, but thankfully it was enough that the system remained offline. It took no more than ten steps for Hadrizahens’ anxiety to wane. He was going to make it outside, he was going to sneak out without anyone being any the wise-

“Going for an evening stroll, Merchant Assistant Entity Hadrizahens?” 

The old, almost rusted sounding voice cut through the darkness, causing Hadrizahens to freeze to the spot as though he had just experienced a catastrophic system failure. It honestly felt as though he had. The confidence he had in himself just a moment before had been ejected from him as swiftly as an old bit of code was deleted from a terminal. He had been caught.

“Oh. I was-... This Entity had made an error in finalizing the chores for the evening. They require correction for the facility to function effectively.” Hadrizahens replied in his most polite, robotic Korvax voice. He hoped Orzhoku would not have noticed his slip in the beginning. He was so afraid of being caught that his processing power was functioning at only half capacity. He turned around in the spot to face the elder Korvax, who was sitting in one of the chairs at the other side of the room.

“How responsible of you.” Orzhoku responded with a strange lilt to his voice. Hadrizahens didn’t move as he felt Orzhoku scanning him very carefully. 

“There appears to be a… film… on the motion scanners. Clearly there was a failure in routine sanitation duties-” Hadrizahens began to explain, trying to sound as innocent as he could about the obvious malfunction in the room that the two Korvax were now conversing in.

“Oh, is there? I would not have made that observation since I deactivated the motion detection system entirely. How would you know of such a thing, Merchant Assistant Entity Hadrizahens?”

“I-... Well-... Scanners-...” Hadrizahens stammered uselessly, his mind alight with dozens of excuses to use, but unable to choose the most appropriate one. Hadrizahens was not used to going against orders, or acting out in any sort of way. These were signs of a Divergent Mind, and Hadrizahens certainly was not Divergent. But Orzhoku might think otherwise now that he-.... wait… “...Why did Taskmaster Entity Orzhoku deactivate the motion system?”

Orzhoku chuckled, the light on their screen dimming with each rasping sound. With a groan of metal, Orzhoku pulled themselves onto their feet and walked towards Hadrizahens. 

“This was statistically likely to happen. Probability dictated this exact outcome, so I prepared for it.”

“...You were waiting?” Hadrizahens asked, confused.

Orzhoku nodded sagely, but there was still a twinkle behind the light of his visor as he continued to scan Hadrizahens casually. “Yes. I was waiting for you. Calculating the draw of an anomaly to a young, curious mind was easy to do. I knew you would be drawn to the Traveller eventually.”

Hadrizahens felt a hiss of air escape his casing as coolant rushed through his system to correct for the sudden spike in internal temperature.

“I was not leaving to seek knowledge from the Traveller. I am a Merchant Assistant Entity.” Hadrizahens retorted.

Orzhoku didn’t appear convinced in any capacity, but he didn’t press Hadrizahens further down his path of incrimination. Not directly, at least.

“That is for the best, perhaps. Eheu, the Traveller Entity has been gone for some time now.”

“Gone?”

Orzhoku glanced upward at Hadrizahenss’ faceplate, observing the blue lights turning pale. Hadrizahens was glad that the older Korvax didn’t question him on his clearly distraught response and instead elaborated further with his information.

“Not gone for good; the Traveller Entity’s temporary base still stands along with the storage for its materials and supplies. The Traveller Entity is simply not within the base and has not been for several Sols now.”

Orzhoku explained simply.

“The Traveller Entity is missing?” Hadrizahens probed further, hoping for any good news. Had it not been Orzhoku who had given Hadrizahens the ominous warning about some sort of unrest before the Traveller had arrived? What if the Traveller was in danger?

“It is most probable that the Traveller has sought out or simply scouting for its quarry now. The base is constructed and supplies have been delivered. It is a good time to proceed with their mission.” Orzhoku looked away casually. Hadrizahens saw the lights dance across the elder Korvax’s visor screen as they stole a glance at him. Whatever little game Orzhoku was trying to play failed to amuse the younger Korvax. Especially after delivering this news about the Traveller in such an intentionally deceptive way. Perhaps Taudi was right. Perhaps Orzhoku was starting to disconnect from the Convergence and his mind was starting to slip.

“Why don’t you shut down for a recharge cycle? Your logic processor seems to be faulty.” Hadrizahens commented tersely.

Taskmaster Entity Orzhoku walked back over to the chair and sat down once again. “Perhaps you are right. I should run a quick diagnostic of my inner workings to be sure.”

Hadrizahens watched as the Korvax’s visor light faded slightly, but not all the way. The elder Korvax settled into the chair, drooping slightly as he entered a suspended rest mode. Was this a trick? What was happening?

“Don’t mind me, young Echo. Please go about your business. I will just be here. With the motion sensors turned off and the front doors unlocked.” Orzhoku’s voice faded out as he spoke until he finally entered a good operating level for diagnostics.

Hadrizahens glanced towards the door, then back at Orzhoku. He was deeply confused. He truly felt as though this was a trap, but scans of Orzhoku did prove conclusively that they were in the proper rest state to perform diagnostics. The old Korvax would not be able to reboot in time to stop Hadrizahens should he leave. There was also no way for the old Korvax to pause the diagnostic without having to restart the entire process, so it would give Hadrizahens enough time to check on the Traveller and then return before Merchant Entity Taudi would be any the wiser. It was hard to say whether Taudi would take the word of their subordinate over the older Korvax, since Taudi was predisposed to disliking anyone who wasn’t Scientist Entity Podoim… but perhaps it was worth the risk.

Hadrizahens escaped the outpost with just one last look at Orzhoku to make sure that they were still running the diagnostic cycles. The old Korvax showed no sign of movement, so Hadrizahens proceeded. The night air was cooler than the day, mostly due to the humidity that clung to the atmosphere relentlessly. Had Hadrizahens been organic, he might experience a chill. Thankfully, it took much more than that to slow his inner machinery down so he kept walking. The sky was mostly clear this evening, with a few clouds gathering overhead for an impending rainstorm. Hadrizahens made a mental note to order more resin-wax once he returned to the outpost; he would need to put some on the external machinery of the base to protect it from the rain, which could be 83 degrees Celsius, and they were almost out. Despite the harsh rainstorms, Hadrizahens loved this planet. Cireenob XV was a lush, tropical paradise filled with exceptional fauna and flora. As a prospective biologist, Hadrizahens loved everything about the planet.

The path that he traversed was a trodden down grass and dirt path that had first been worn down by the local wildlife. The ungulates of Cireenob XV were migratory, moving to follow the superheated rainstorms as they moved across the planet’s face. They traveled in small family herds, following both the weather and their instincts to feed off of the lush flora that flourished in the scalding rain. The plants fibers were tough to withstand the damage and hard to digest, but they were rich in nutrients as a result. Fauna would need plenty of room in their bodies for digesting the tough plant matter, but the sustenance provided was well worth growing so large. The paths both trodden and grazed down by the lifeforms were perfect for bipedal electroliforms such as Korvax to travel along as well. Hadrizahens had imagined it quite thrilling for the first Korvax settlements on this planet to discover that paths had already been provided by the local wildlife. There was no concern of disrupting the Sentinels that hummed and buzzed around the planet, stewarding all of The Atlas’s great creation. Even with the Korvax setting up small settlements and outposts, the impact on the environment had been so minimal that lifeforms still used the pathways that had first been stomped down thousands of years ago.

That was why Hadrizahens felt very little apprehension as he continued walking down the path when he heard a rustling sound in the taller growing grass. Though the grass grew far past his knee joints the further away from the outpost he walked, he felt no reason to fear when something other than the gentle wind disturbed the plants. There were a fair amount of creatures that made their home in the tropical grasslands of Cireenob XV, one of which was Hadrizahens’ favorite. A shy avian creature that spent its whole day flying and would only descend during the night to feed and drink. They nested in burrows under the grass that they would dig with their talons, beaks, and membranous tails. Their diet consisted of the fruit produced by the Star Bramble plants that flourished in tropical conditions. A beautiful plant tendril that produced a bioluminescent fruit that glowed like the stars in the sky. These birds would fly to the brambles at night to gorge themselves on the fruits, then return to their nests to regurgitate the fruit for their young. The movement in the grass accompanied with a faint glow was no cause for concern for Hadrizahens.

Out of the grass beside Hadrizahens, a figure rose into the air. It was not accompanied by the flap of wings, but rather the hum of a motor. The light that he thought was from the glow of star bulb juice was actually coming from an ocular lense from the center of its orange outer armor. The drone was larger than Hadrizahens’ head and propelled by small thrusters on the back of its geometric body. Hadrizahens recognized the mechanical entity to be one of the ever patrolling Sentinel Drones that wandered each planet’s surface throughout the galaxy. It was rare, but not unheard of to get this close to a Sentinel by mistake. They usually seemed content in their own work and minded their own business as long as any subject remained nonconfrontational and nondestructive. Having no excuse to spend prolonged periods of time outdoors, Hadrizahens had not had many run-ins of any kind with any of these drones. He marveled as the small robot fired up its thrusters to move forward, but the thrusters sputtered and the Sentinel was jerked ungracefully through the air. Something was wrong.

Not wanting to interfere with the Sentinel, for fear that any approach might be misread as an act of aggression, Hadrizahens watched anxiously as the drone continued to move strangely through the air. It tilted slightly on its axis, leaning on its right side as it lurched through the air. It appeared to have no awareness of its malfunction. Perhaps it was just a temporary systems glitch? Nothing outside of the Sentinel would indicate damage, and their hull was usually crafted with alloys strong enough to withstand adverse weather. Hadrizahens thought to leave the Sentinel alone and continue on his trek down to the ridge. As soon as his foot hit the grass in his path, the Sentinel suddenly wheeled around and focused it’s scanner lense on Hadrizahens, narrowing it for detailed analysis.

Hadrizahens didn’t move, he was too startled by the sudden aggression in the movements of the Sentinel. Knowing he had done no wrong, he stood in place and allowed the Sentinel to perform a rapid scan and allow him to go on his way. The blue scanner light passed from his head to his feet as the Sentinel buzzed around his head.

The Sentinel made an angry buzzer sound. The cogs inside of its frame began to whir angrily. Hadrizahens took a step back in alarm. The Sentinel’s ocular lense flashed from blue to red. Hadrizahens recognized the color. It was a transfixing deep crimson, yet somehow cold. He couldn’t look away as the Sentinel began charging and redirecting power to its offensive systems. There was a sudden, secondary glow of red light. Hadrizahens spotted it just in time. He jumped to the side just in time to avoid a bolt of laser fire from the Sentinel’s side mounted blaster. The Sentinel made a second buzzing sound, sounding frustrated if Sentinels were capable of anything outside of cold efficiency. Suddenly, as though materializing out of thin air, three more drones rose out of the grass. Their scanner lights were all red and fixated on Hadrizahens. 

Terrified and disoriented, Hadrizahens turned down the path and began to run. He had no idea why the Sentinel Drones were initiating an attack, but he had no time to puzzle it out. All he could do was run. The drones left the tall grass, hovering quickly after him. He didn’t turn his head to check if they were behind him, but he could hear their thrusters kicking into a higher mode of speed to pursue. The trading outpost was still closer than any other building or shelter, but the drones made sure to herd Hadrizahens further away, creating a barrier between him and safety. He had no choice but to continue running down the path. He knew what would happen if he slowed down or allowed them to catch him. His only choice was to hope that whatever malfunction the drones were experiencing was affecting their aim as well.

The Sentinels began to open fire on Hadrizahens as soon as they were at their maximum speed. The Korvax let out an involuntary yelp of fear as he saw the first of the laser bolts streak past him and char the ground at his feet. Even in the humidity of the tropical atmosphere, the laser bolts were hot enough to burn the grass and dampened dirt to a dark, scorched color. It frightened him to think what firepower like that might do to the synthetic flesh of an electroliform like himself. Luckily, he could see the pathway cut behind a small grove of deep green trees. Beyond the grove was a downwards slope that created a small bog thanks to the near constant rainfall. Beyond the ditch bog was the ridge. Beyond the ridge was the Traveller. Hadrizahens was getting close.

The Korvax took the turn around the grove at a sprint, not bothering to slow down. The grip on the bottom of his boots failed him momentarily on the damp ground and his feet slid out from under him. He flailed his arms to counter the sudden shift in his balance and only just managed to stay on his feet as he ran down the slope of the hill. The sudden turn, the tree cover, and the decline of the terrain seemed to throw the Sentinel swarm momentarily. Hadrizahens heard a series of beeps and buzzes as the Sentinels slowed to scan the horizon for their quarry that was no longer there. Unfortunately, one of the drones spotted Hadrizahens sliding down the hill into the bog and alerted the others. The pursuit continued, but Hadrizahens had been blessed with more of a lead. Their blaster fire was not as accurate at a distance, as their weaponry relied on heat and energy. He only had to maintain the distance. Once at the bottom of the hill, Hadrizahens’ boot sunk through the grass and into a shallow pit of mud. He knew he was at a disadvantage now.

Even though the bog was only about 20 meters wide, it was still slick and wet from rain and decaying plant matter. The tendrils of fibrous plants rotting in the mud acted like thin fingers, grasping onto anything with weight that sunk into the mud; refusing to let go. Still, stepping on the clumps of plant matter was the better option. The risk of getting tangled temporarily outweighed that of being swallowed and sucked into a deeper pit of mud. One misstep and it would be all over for the young Korvax. He lept from island to island as quickly as he dared, ripping his feet from the grasses and roots before taking another leap. He couldn’t slow down. Unlike him, the Sentinels could hover. Terrain like this would not slow them. They followed across the bog, still buzzing and grinding angrily. Hadrizahens was so close. The incline of the ridge with its sturdier, rockier ground was just within his reach.

A searing heat skirted past his side, taking Hadrizahens off balance and sending him forward and into the ridge. He threw his hands out to catch himself, grasping desperately at the grass growing on the incline of the ridge lest he slip and fall back into the mud of the mire. His left hand jolted and seized as the palm hit something hard. Without even having to inspect the damage visually, he knew that he had split the synthetic material on his hand. As a programmed response, his fist balled up tightly to protect the delicate machinery within the hand from dirt and other damaging material. His side was pulsing with a white hot sensation as he received multiple damage alerts. He pushed himself to his feet with some difficulty, glancing down at his side as he heaved himself further up the ridge. He caught a glimpse of the damage but could only stand to keep it at a glance. It appeared as though a blaster bolt had seared through the material of his side and melted it down. He thought he saw circuitry, but he pushed the data out of his mind. He couldn’t perform a damage report or a diagnostic scan at the moment. He needed to keep running or risk irreparable damage at the hands of the Sentinels.

He covered the tear in his synthetic skin with his already damaged and useless hand as began to climb. He dug his elbow into the dirt and rock, grasping at gravel or grass as he ascended the side of the ridge. It was slow and terrifying. The other side would be even more steep. But a descent would be easier. If he could make it to the top, he could put distance between him and the Sentinels once again. Especially since they seemed to struggle with sudden changes in terrain when moving at high speeds. Hadrizahens put all other thoughts out of his mind. He ignored the approaching buzz of the swarm and their continued fire. He ignored the hot sensation in his side and hand. He ignored the damage alerts. He just kept climbing. If he thought of anything else, if he slowed for a second, the Sentinels would catch him. They would blow him to pieces. The Traveller’s base was just on the other side of the ridge. 

It became easier for him to calm his processors as he kept up the monotonous climb. There was a quick rhythm to his ascent. Elbow, grasp, left foot, right. Elbow, grasp, left foot, right. Elbow grasp, left foot, right. The mechanical nature of the rhythm soothed him ever so slightly, centering him amidst the pulses of Sentinel fire. Truly, what did he have to fear? Organic lifeforms fear death, but the Korvax did not experience that same sensation. Disconnection was not a ceasing of existence, it was rejoining the collective mind of his people. Though he had hoped to stay and collect more knowledge to bring back to the Convergence before. He preferred to continue this stage of his life cycle further. Of course he did. The Korvax didn’t lack a sense of self preservation, otherwise they would have no hope to continue as a species. But the fear of death was lessened enough for Hadrizahens in the rhythm of his climb enough for him to keep panic from overtaking his systems. There was logic and calm within him. He only hoped that it was not in vain. He could only hope that he would see salvation once he got to the top.

Hadrizahens’ pulled himself up on the crest of the ridge and looked down into the valley. His circuits ran cold as he stared. The Traveller’s base stood dark and empty below him. The star fighter was nowhere to be seen. There was no sign of the Traveller. He had hoped that the Traveller would have returned. That maybe the Traveller would be able to help him. It was a foolish and illogical hope and he realized it now. No. Hadrizahens had come too far to allow himself to be overtaken and melted into scrap by the swarm of angry Sentinels. There was still a structure and Hadrizahens was not totally helpless. He could hide around or within the base until the Sentinels moved on, there might be supplies to repair and recharge himself, there might be a way to call for help. There were many courses of action to take, all of which sounded much better than Disconnection. 

The only thing standing in his way now was the stretch of flat, open ground between the bottom of the ridge and the structure of the small base. There would be nothing to protect him from incoming fire, and the open grassland that Hadrizahens would have to cross was at least 40 meters in length. Descending the ridge, the Sentinels would also have an advantage of higher ground and a perfectly unobstructed view to fire at him from. But he was so close. He could make it. He didn’t have time to hesitate. He braced his arm more tightly over the melted tear in his side and he leapt over the side of the ridge.

The dirt and gravel was loose from the constant superheated rain erosion, making it a challenge to balance but much easier to descend. Hadrizahens slid down the ridge quickly and easily, creating a cascade of earth beneath and behind him as he went. All he had to do was keep his center of gravity as low to the ground as he could. Through the sounds of the shifting earth, Hadrizahens could hear the sound he had been counting on. The Sentinels let out a loud blaring sound as soon as Hadrizahens had suddenly disappeared beyond their line of sight. They were agitated but disoriented and struggled to track the direction that their quarry had taken. Hadrizahens was stumbling onto the flattened ground at the bottom of the ridge, trying to keep his balance on all of the loosened earth that had fallen with him by the time the Sentinels had spotted him once more.

He took off at a mad sprint towards the base as soon as the Sentinels began to fire at him once again. The distance was great enough that their accuracy was suffering. The hover technology used in the Sentinels also meant that their descent would not gain momentum. Hadrizahens had a chance. He dedicated every ounce of power inside of his casing to propelling himself forward as fast as his mechanical joints would allow him to go. He didn’t think. He didn’t feel. He only ran. He was so close.

A sharp burning sensation erupted on the back of his leg and the joint locked up, sending Hadrizahens tumbling into the dirt once again. This time, he couldn’t get up. A laser bolt had penetrated the back of his boot, through his synthetic skin, and into the circuits within his leg. The damage had completely locked up the joint. Even if Hadrizahens could override the lock up procedure meant to prevent further damage from occurring, he was fairly certain that the direct hit had welded the alloys and wiring inside his leg together. It was useless. He couldn’t stand. His systems were overloading with damage alerts. He felt hot. This was it, this was the end. He tried pulling himself forward with his one good arm and one good leg, but the sealed door of the Traveller’s base was still at least 13 meters away. He wouldn’t make it after all. The mad Sentinels would gun him down. 

A cloud of hot air and old grass was kicked up around Hadrizahens by a powerful wind, and he braced himself against it. The wind passed over him as quickly as it had started in the first place and he sat up to see what had caused the irrational weather pattern. Blue bolts of photon fire rained down from the darkened sky onto the swarm of Sentinels, drawing their fire effortlessly. As the Sentinels aimed towards the sky, they were scattered off course by a gust of heated wind as a metallic arrow shape raced overhead. The trail of blue light left behind by a powerful thruster hung in the air as the craft turned towards the sky, avoiding hitting the ridge, then turning back and diving back at the swarm of Sentinels. Hadrizahens was horrified to now see that their number had grown in size during the pursuit. There were now at least 16 Sentinels descending the ridge. 11 now. The photon fire had blasted a few of them to unrecognizable pieces. Even in the darkened sky, Hadrizahens could recognize the blue fighter with yellow-gold accents.

Hadrizahens watched the fighter class starship fly past the base quite some distance, then turn towards the swarm again. The hull lowered closer and closer to the earth and Hadrizahens watched in awe and horror as the thruster boosters let out a thunderous noise. The ship lurched forward with a frighteningly dangerous boost of speed as it skirted along the planet’s surface towards Hadrizahens and the swarm. The grass beneath the ship was pushed with such great wind force that it stayed flattened against the ground even after the ship had shot past. The swarm of Sentinels seemed confident, standing their ground and firing uselessly at the fighter. The deflector shields rendered their small blaster bolts useless against the vessel as it bore down on them. An uneasy buzzing sound came from the swarm and their ocular lenses began to blink and strobe. Hadrizahens ducked as the star fighter opened fire once more on the swarm, feeling the heat from the photon blasters as they flew overhead. Four more Sentinels were blasted to pieces but the ship didn’t slow down or change course. 

With a loud, blaring buzzer sound, the Sentinels scattered just as the ship lurched to a stop where the swarm had been moments before. The landing gears extended and the ship's rear thrusters died instantly. The nose of the ship lurched upwards as forward thrusters swiftly engaged to compensate for the momentum as the ship landed. As the vessel was landing, the pressure was released from the cockpit and the hatch lifted. With its multi-tool raised in its fist, the Traveller swung out of the cockpit and hit the grass running. 

The swarm of Sentinels began to regroup, their lenses flashing crimson now. Something about the Traveller had sent them into a full rage. Hadrizahens could sense it in their circuits. He had never seen anything upset Sentinels like this before, and it terrified him. Perhaps it was the sheer amount of violence that the Traveller had entered the situation with, or its intent to continue the violence with its multi-tool drawn. Nevertheless, Hadrizahens did not wish for the Traveller to put the multi-tool away. 

“The Sentinels! They are enraged!” Hadrizahens called to the Traveller desperately. He pointed towards the regrouped swarm that had just begun pursuing the Traveller. A volley of blaster fire was sent towards the organic entity, but the Traveller shot suddenly into the air. Startled, Hadrizahens stared towards the sky where the Traveller had rocketed upwards. The Traveller turned in midair and trained its weapon on the Sentinels, firing several rounds in their direction. One, two, three direct hits. Three Sentinel Drones fell lifeless to the earth, their ocular lenses pierced and their internal systems fried. Residual heat from the backpack the Traveller wore registered on Hadrizahens’ scanners. Of course. A jetpack. 

The Traveller landed on the ground, stumbling for only a moment before it turned back towards Hadrizahens. Before the Korvax knew it, he was being swept off of the ground and set back on his feet. He leaned backwards in both fear and awe as soon as he saw the blank visor of the Traveller’s helmet right next to his. He nearly lost his balance, but the same strong arm that had pulled him off of the ground caught him behind his back to keep him steady and push him along.

“Run!” The Traveller ordered urgently, pushing Hadrizahens again. 

“No, I can’t-!” Hadrizahens had to grip the Traveller’s arm tightly as he received another push forward. Without it, he would have fallen on his face once again. “There’s too much damage…”

The Traveller looked Hadrizahens over in obvious dismay, its glance finally falling to Hadrizahens’ leg once Hadrizahens indicated to it. Still supported by the Traveller’s arm, Hadrizahens was close enough to not only hear its exhale of alarm, but feel it as well. Maybe the Traveller was weighing its options to leave Hadrizahens behind and escape by itself. It stood mostly motionless for a moment, only shaken back to the present when the Sentinels’ fire shot past its helmet. 

Decision made, the Traveller suddenly tightened its grip on Hadrizahens, holding him much closer and refocusing on the approaching Sentinels. It aimed its firearm at the Sentinels, shielding Hadrizahens with its own biomass as a hexagonal lattice appeared before them, deflecting the blaster bolts from the Sentinels. The shield was suddenly deactivated and the Traveller fired a few more shots, destroying two more Sentinel drones and heavily damaging two more. With that distraction, the Traveller swept Hadrizahens into its arms once again and ran towards the base door. 

All Hadrizahens could do was cling awkwardly around the Traveller’s neck as he was carried to the base. His fear was starting to return as the helplessness of his situation sunk in. The Sentinels were following again, the base still appeared to be powered down, and the Traveller was using both arms to carry him and therefore could not hold its weapon. The Traveller was thankfully lighter on its feet than Hadrizahens, even while carrying the mechanical lifeform.

The Traveller ran up the ramp to the door of its base, dropping Hadrizahens to his feet but still supporting him with one arm. It jabbed its fingers wildly at the keypad on the door, entering a sequence in as quickly as it could. Hadrizahens stayed close, watching in fear as the Sentinel drones rushed ever closer. Their aim was getting better with the decreased distance. The Traveller only looked up from the keypad once Hadrizahens let out a fearful yelp as he ducked out of the way of a blaster bolt that scored the hermetic door behind him. The Traveller tensed up and shoved Hadrizahens behind itself once again, shielding him from the swarm. The shield lattice appeared once again, but suddenly faltered as the power failed. Still, the Traveller stood between Hadrizahens and the Sentinels, as resolute as ever.

The Traveller began to fire at the Sentinels, less accurately than before. Had the direct hits been a fluke? Or was the Traveller just trying to keep the Sentinels at bay?

“Six, zero, five, nine!” 

Hadrizahens was shaken out of his reverent trance, feeling foolish for having stared at the Traveller for so long. They were in a life or death situation, and Hadrizahens had been daydreaming? How shameful. “...What?”

“Six, zero, five, nine!” The Traveller repeated more urgently, nodding over his shoulder to Hadrizahens.

A rush of understanding hit Hadrizahens like a bucket of ice water and he was suddenly fully alert. He turned his back towards the Traveller and punched the number sequence into the keypad. A deep hum suddenly erupted from the base, startling Hadrizahens. He jumped back, bumping into the Traveller as power flooded the base systems and the lights flashed on. The Traveller caught and steadied Hadrizahens, neglecting the drones in front of him. The Sentinel swarm ceased their fire as the sudden light blinded their ocular lenses. The swarm turned away to reorient the receptors to the shift in light. Then, the door hissed and slid open. Hadrizahens was pushed inside, tumbling to the ground with the Traveller falling at his side as a hail of blaster bolts flew overhead. The Traveller got to its hands and knees and crawled across the floor quickly to the control panel next to the door and slammed a fist into one of the buttons. The light blinked red, the door slammed shut, and a lock tumbled into place. The Sentinels were locked outside. Hadrizahens and the Traveller were safe.


	4. The Trade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hadrizahens has been damaged and needs repairs if he's to walk again. The Traveller may know many things about many different worlds, but it doesn't know about Korvax mechanics. They'll need to come up with another way to fix Hadrizahens' damaged leg... luckily, they might be able to work out a favor with the neighbors.

The Traveller leaned with its back against the hermetic door and slid to the floor with a long, tired sigh of relief. Outside, the sounds of continued fire could be heard clashing against the heavy door. It made Hadrizahens uneasy.

“...Are we safe?” Hadrizahens asked meekly, fixing his visor light on the door behind the Traveller.

The Traveller nodded slowly. “We are safe.”

Hadrizahens relaxed as well, letting the stress on his system lessen as he sat on the polished black flooring of the narrow entrance to the greater base. Now that he wasn’t in immediate danger, he felt the hot feeling return to his body. The damages and stresses he had sustained needed tending to.

The Traveller seemed to remember Hadrizahens’ injuries at the same time he did. The organic entity suddenly sat forward, a clear concern in its voice. “You are hurt!”

“I-... it’s nothing serious… minimal damages.” Hadrizahens lied. The thought of a pseudo-deity fussing and worrying over him might cause a secondary system overload. A working class Korvax certainly wasn’t worth the time of a Traveller Entity. Not by any extent.

The Traveller Entity didn’t seem to know these rules of social standing. It didn’t appear to care that it was of far greater import than Hadrizahens, and therefore should not bother itself with Hadrizahens’ problems. The Traveller moved towards Hadrizahens, shooing his hands out of the way and grabbing the poor, anxious Korvax by the leg. It didn’t grip him tightly, or try to pull at his damaged leg, but it did effectively prevent Hadrizahens from being able to pull away. The Traveller took a long moment to analyze the damage done to Hadrizahens’ leg, then it turned its gaze towards Hadrizahens.

“You lie.” 

Hadrizahens had never felt more ashamed and foolish for lying to anyone than he did now. He couldn’t read the Traveller’s expression, but he knew that the Traveller thought him witless for telling such a pointless falsehood. It wasn’t as though he could get away with his lie, either. Hadrizahens’ leg was locked up at the joint; he couldn’t walk. The Traveller could see this as well.

“...I don’t want to cause more of a fuss.” Hadrizahens muttered, telling the truth this time. His gaze was downcast, so he could not see the Traveller tilt its head and soften in a sympathetic way.

“...No entity wishes to be a burden. But you are not. I assist those in need. It is how I am not a burden.” The Traveller spoke slowly, as though taking great care in choosing its words. It released its grip on Hadrizahens’ leg as it spoke.

Hadrizahens looked up at the Traveller in surprise. “A Traveller Entity? A burden? That’s-... illogical. No. The Travellers are a blessing from The Atlas-!”

The Traveller heaved a tired sigh and leaned backwards. Hadrizahens got the distinct feeling that the conversation had become annoying or dull to the Traveller, though he couldn’t possibly place why. All he knew was that he had somehow committed some sort of faux pas.

“The Atlas did not send me. The Atlas holds no power over me. I am my own.” The Traveller explained. It seemed to sense Hadrizahens’ confusion, but its explanation was far from informative. Perhaps sensing that Hadrizahens was going to interrogate it further, the Traveller spoke again. “...I cannot help your damages. I do not know your body well enough to repair.”

Bashful, but not at all surprised, Hadrizahens shook his head quickly to dismiss the Traveller’s lack of knowledge. There was no reason for the Traveller to have spent its valuable time learning the mechanical makeup of a Korvax casing, or how to repair an assortment of damages done to it. The Korvax casing was a complex creation, and a prized one at that. They held together for generations upon generations of new Korvax iterations to take the place of old, dying Echoes. Hadrizahens himself wasn’t entirely certain how to repair his leg, but he didn’t need to know personally. He could call upon the collective mind of his people to download what he might need to know. Though it might be difficult for him to reach behind his leg joint to do the repairs himself. The angle was hardly optimal. But he would not ask the Traveller to assist with that. The Traveller was far too important of a being. Besides, Hadrizahens could scarcely imagine what he would do, sitting against the wall of the Traveller’s base, with the Traveller’s hands all over his leg, working at the delicate insides-... it was too much to even think about. Far too intimate for him to continue generating the scenario in his processor. 

“You saved me, that is good enough.” Hadrizahens said. “I can do repairs myself, once I return to the outpost.”

“It is unwise to leave just now.” The Traveller warned gravely.

Hadrizahens wasn’t exactly comfortable with spending so much alone time with a holy entity that no being truly knew anything about, but he was inclined to listen to whatever warning the Traveller decided to give him. He was not at all keen to go outside, though the sounds of the Sentinel attack had stopped by now. There was no way of telling whether or not the drones had given up entirely, or were simply searching for their missing quarry… or a way to get inside the base. Hadrizahens shivered at the thought.

The Traveller seemed to notice Hadrizahens’ unease. It looked more closely at Hadrizahens, though not judgmentally. “...What happened?”

A fair question, though Hadrizahens had no answer to it himself. As far as Hadrizahens knew, he had not done anything that would send the Sentinels into a frenzy. Sentinel drones weren’t prone to unprovoked violence of that nature. Yes, there were instances in which Sentinels had attacked lifeforms, but it was usually due to the lifeform causing damage to the environment that the Sentinels dutifully protected. Even then, the drones would not attack outright. Being logical machines, Sentinels would analyze a situation to determine a threat, scanning the area and the potentially guilty party before beginning countermeasures. None of that had happened. Hadrizahens was issued no warning for his unknown crime. He was walking the same path that Scientist Entity Podoim walked every single day to get to the trading outpost. It made no sense.

“...I don’t know. The Sentinels… They just…”

“Went mad?” 

Hadrizahens stared at the Traveller in surprise. It sounded as though it wasn’t shocked by the behavior of the Sentinels at all. As though this mad series of events was commonplace. “...Yes.”

“Sentinels are machine. Their minds computers. They are connected, like the Korvax, but stronger. There is no individual with Sentinels. Only the swarm. When one fails, all fails. There is no one to repair the Sentinels’ minds.” The Traveller explained as best as it could. The Traveller spoke in broken sentences to explain concepts that Hadrizahens could only imagine were far beyond the grasp of his comprehension with his limited Korvax knowledge. He was in awe of the Traveller’s insights, and yet terrified by what it was attempting to explain. It unsettled him to his very core to think about and left him silent for a moment while he absorbed the Traveller’s conceptual description.

“You have seen this before?” Hadrizahens asked, looking towards the Traveller for guidance.

“Yes.”

“...How is it possible?” Hadrizahens wondered aloud, hungry for more knowledge though it filled him with apprehension. 

“They have failed before, long ago. In a time that no longer exists. Outside of this galaxy. It is lost now.” the Traveller spoke with a more ominous tone.

Truly the Traveller was a wise being, to have such information of the Sentinels. Words of another world, one that sounded like it was utterly foreign to Hadrizahens. It would have been thrilling to hear about had the Traveller not mentioned that it was “lost”. The concept filled him with a dread that started deep within his logic core and worked its way through every system. The heaviness in the Traveller’s tone worried him, and he dared not to ask for more information on its fuller meaning. But his morbid curiosity could not be stopped. He feared to know more about the terrible things that the Traveller could tell him, but he couldn’t stop himself. “Were you from the lost galaxy?”

“No.” The Traveller said with a sigh and a chuckle. The sudden levity put Hadrizahens at ease, pulling him from his dark thoughts of disappearing galaxies and missing civilizations. Even with the relief he felt from the Traveller’s answer, he could still sense that there was still tension in the Traveller’s demeanor. “I have explored many galaxies and learned many truths. I have seen peace in the Sentinels and I have seen corruption. I do not know what causes the unrest, if it is one thing only. I do know that it will spread. It will no longer be safe here.”

Hadrizahens’ circuits ran cold. Questions and scenarios started forming unbidden in his mind. Would the Traveller not let him rest his mind? What did the Traveller mean by unsafe? Hadrizahens could certainly imagine based on what he just experienced, but did the Traveller mean that it might get worse? Would it spread planetwide? There were other settlements on the planet, though they were small. The Sentinels prevented the development of large towns and cities on most planets in the known galaxy, but it wasn’t uncommon for there to be millions of small settlements scattered over a planet instead. Would they be in danger as well? How would they alert the other settlements? Would anyone believe them about what had just happened? What were they going to do? Hadrizahens felt like his processor was overloading with the sudden flood of questions and probabilities within his mind. It was too much to handle. He felt his systems overheating as the circuits attempted to process the information, while coolant pumped through his casing to prevent the inevitable overheat. His vision was fading beyond a wall of steady calculations, all of which predicted worst case scenario after worst case scenario. He couldn’t see-

There was a loud knock at the door, causing both of the lifeforms inside to jump. Hadrizahens leaned closer to the Traveller out of fear, the Traveller reached for its firearm. After a moment of silence, they both relaxed. They remembered that they were safe inside of a locked building. It would take more than a few Sentinel drones to break down the door in such a short amount of time. Perhaps Sentinels did possess the ability to melt their way through a heavy set of hermetic doors such as the ones sealing off the base, but it wouldn’t fall in just one loud bang. Even with Sentinel reinforcements, the two lifeforms were still safe inside the base.

The banging sounded again. Three knocks in succession. Sentinels were not well known for using their bodies as battering rams, or known for their strict adherence to social manners. Whatever was making the noise outside the door was no Sentinel. Hadrizahens exchanged a confused look with the Traveller, more relieved to see that the Traveller was just as puzzled as he was. The Traveller got to its feet, putting its weapon away as it walked to the keypad next to the door. A few button presses activated a small screen just above the numbers. Hadrizahens assumed that it was some sort of security camera linked up to the outside of the base. The screen was too small and he at too dramatic of an angle on the floor to see for him to make out for sure if that was what the Traveller was looking at. The Traveller seemed at ease with whatever was on the screen, though. It sighed in relief and pushed a large green button to unlock the door. There was a momentary delay as the computer system read the input and unsealed the door, but the heavy machinery eventually slid open. Hadrizahens deflated immediately when he caught his first glimpse of a Korvax clad in a sick yellow-green color. He had thought the worst thing they might find on the other side of the door was an even greater swarm of Sentinels. He was wrong.

“Greetings, Traveller Entity. It is good to see you returned mostly intact.” Scientist Entity Podoim hummed pointedly. Hadrizahens knew that the Scientist identified him. He knew that he was being judged poorly. The only thing that was saving him at the moment was Podoim’s sense of decorum. Wait-... what had Podoim just said?

“Mostly intact?” Hadrizahens repeated in confusion. Hadrizahens had not spent a long time observing the Traveller since the first time it had visited Outpost Rugo-395, but Hadrizahens had not noticed any missing limbs or chunks from the body of the Traveller. 

Podoim would have rolled their eyes if they had any. “The Traveller Entity is leaking vital body fluids out of a hole in their exosuit.”

Hadrizahens stared in shock at the Traveller’s left arm, where Podoim was indicating. Sure enough, there was a dark, dirty red stain on the material surrounding a tear in the fabric. The color reminded Hadrizahens of rust, which was striking considering that he was almost completely certain that the Traveller was not a mechanical lifeform. How had Hadrizahens not noticed? He was ashamed to have been such a helpless wreck of a victim that he hadn’t even bothered to help the Traveller, much less noticed it's injury. 

“It does not bother me. The pain has been taken care of already.” The Traveller reassured Scientist Entity Podoim firmly, holding up a hand to quell the passive aggressive remarks. The Traveller seemed uninterested in humoring Podoim’s attempts to shame Hadrizahens, which made the young Korvax feel slightly better. After all, the Traveller had given no indication to being injured, or that the damages had hindered it in any way. Conversely, Hadrizahens was unable of standing on his own, much less walking. It stood to reason that Hadrizahens’ damages were worse.

Hardly deterred, Podoim continued their verbal assault on Hadrizahens and the situation he had gotten himself into. He seemed determined to properly shame the insubordinate young Korvax.

“Merchant Assistant Entity Hadrizahens has been damaged as well?” Podoim asked, as though it was not obvious to them that Hadrizahens could not even stand. “The young Echo cannot be bothered to maintain their casing? Or, more likely, the young Echo resorted to delinquency and enraged the Aerons?”

It was hard to miss the religious emphasis the Scientist was putting on his accusations, painting Hadrizahens as some sort of heathen for disturbing the balance between the Sentinels and nature. Podoim had even referred to the Sentinels by their ancient name; something that most younger Korvax never bothered with. Hadrizahens had the distinct feeling that Podoim would have preferred Taudi to be present to hear all of this, but had settled for rehearsing just how they would damn the younger Korvax in the eyes of his superior. The Traveller would not understand the importance of the words that Podoim had carefully chosen, but Hadrizahens did. And Taudi would as well. It was hardly fair, nor did it make sense. Why should Podoim bother to put Hadrizahens in an even lower place of favor in Merchant Entity Taudi’s graces? Scientist Entity Podoim already commanded most of Taudi’s free time, so there was no reason that Hadrizahens could immediately see for them to be so petty… Unless, the scientist was acting self important because there was an entirely different entity to impress. One that, unlike Taudi, was within earshot. 

“This was not their fault.” The Traveller asserted. It was gentle but very firm while addressing Podoim about this. It made Hadrizahens’ internal pistons flutter. No one had ever defended him before. Not even Taskmaster Entity Orzhoku, and Hadrizahens was on good terms with Orzhoku. Granted, that was because Orzhoku knew that it wasn’t worth the energy reserves to try to debate with Podoim or Taudi about anything once their minds were set. Even though the Traveller did not know how stubborn Podoim and Taudi could be, it still meant a great deal to Hadrizahens that the Traveller would try. 

Podoim’s head swivelled to look at the Traveller, scanning it intently. Hadrizahens knew that the scientist was sizing the Traveller up, calculating their next move in response. He could hear the small whirring sound as the scientist recorded notes to their processor. “You cannot confirm this, you were not present.”

“And you were?” The Traveller replied quickly. There was a tone of incredulity to his accusation. It seemed to bemuse the Traveller that Podoim was so confident in their assertions.

Hadrizahens watched Podoim’s demeanour suddenly take a calculated shift. It went from their usual superior confidence to a casual dubiousness that Hadrizahens couldn’t trust any further than he could ignore. The scientist would no longer look the Traveller in the face. There was some amount of deliberate shame in their actions.

Shocked and perhaps appalled, the Traveller stared back at Podoim once it took stock of Podoim’s body language. “You WERE?”

“I observed. I am a Scientist Entity and it is my directive to survey and record unbiased…” Podoim hummed, still not looking at the Traveller. Hadrizahens felt a twinge of resentment as soon as Podoim stopped speaking. While it was important to science to remain unbiased, as Podoim had said, he hardly felt as though his own life was equivalent to an experiment. He felt that, even if Podoim disliked Hadrizahens, there shouldn’t be a debate over whether or not it was scientifically moral to intervene. 

“You observed and did not assist? We were under attack!” The Traveller’s voice rose steadily with its clear anger. It seemed to agree with Hadrizahens’ unvoiced thoughts.

“Negative. Merchant Assistant Hadrizahens was experiencing corrective behaviors from the Sentinels, then the Traveller Entity engaged the Sentinels in combat unprovoked.” Podoim corrected the Traveller with a newfound and intolerably smug confidence.

“Unprovoked-?!” The Traveller repeated exasperatedly, stuttering as it tried to bid an argument through its outrage.

Hadrizahens remained silent as he watched the two entities exchange words. He knew better than to try to stand up for himself when he was clearly in the wrong. Podoim was mistaken; he had not harassed the Sentinels into attacking him. He had, however, snuck out in the dead of night to speak with the Traveller without permission. Taudi would have never granted him such a request, as Hadrizahens had no business speaking with a pseudo-deity. Especially not when Hadrizahens should be recharging so he could function at peak efficiency for the coming work day. Moreover, Hadrizahens hadn’t even come up with a plan for once he got to the Traveller’s base and had the chance to speak with it. There was no way for Hadrizahens to offer himself a case against his guilt, but he was still grateful to the Traveller for trying on his behalf. They had never had a proper introduction, and yet the Traveller still tried its best to keep Hadrizahens out of trouble. Hadrizahens found it quite chivalrous, even if the Traveller seemed to be losing. 

“You blasted a number of the Sentinels to pieces. You destroyed the guardians of The Atlas’s creation remorselessly. You are, by some virtue of nature, of The Atlas, yet you destroy its commissaries.” Podoim crossed their arms while staring down the Traveller in a very accusational tone. There was a chance that Podoim was simply throwing blame to distract from the fact that they had not tried to help, but Podoim’s confidence was so unwavering that it almost made it seem as though the Traveller was in the wrong.

The Traveller was thankfully not under Podoim’s manipulative grasp, and saw through their attempts to diffuse their own guilt. It seemed keen to play the blame game just as Podoim had. “Secondary question; why do you watch my base?”

Disturbingly unphased by the incriminating nature of the question, Podoim responded with an uncomfortably equal amount of honesty and utter lack of elaboration. “You are a foreign entity, and you are favored by The Atlas. Scientifically speaking, you are fascinating. Personally, you are captivating. I find observing you stimulating… intellectually, of course.”

Rightfully, the Traveller took a moment to process what Podoim had said before speaking again.

“...You flatter me.” The Traveller said flatly. It shifted its weight away from Podoim as it spoke, as though it didn’t believe the caveat that Podoim had added towards the end. Hadrizahens felt it was wise for the Traveller to make that assumption.

“I was also hoping to trouble you for a biological fluid sample.” Podoim added, as though he had not made things uncomfortable enough already.

The Traveller shifted even further away. It’s visor was deliberately pointed away from Scientist Entity Podoim, but Hadrizahens had the distinct impression that the Traveller was giving the scientist nervous sideways glances. He wished he could speak up and help the Traveller, maybe tell Podoim to stop being as adamant about whatever “scientific” study he wanted to conduct, but Hadrizahens knew that he had no authority over Podoim and would be ignored. Still, it would be very satisfying to tell Podoim off. There was no reason for the scientist to act so unprofessionally. The Traveller was a revered entity and should be treated with some respect. How dare Podoim be so crass? It boiled Hadrizahens’ coolant to think about. 

“...I will offer a sample of my choosing if you make a trade.” The Traveller spoke after a pause. There was a lilt to its voice, as though it had puzzled out a way to turn things back to its own advantage once again… which was utterly outrageous, because Hadrizahens felt as though there was no need in any situation for the Traveller to give Podoim what they wanted.

Podoim seemed intrigued, as though he wasn’t certain that a sample was going to be given up consensually. “Do I get to choose what to trade?”

“No.” The Traveller said resolutely. “I have a trade in mind.”

“That hardly seems fair. You get to choose the sample AND the trade item? I could just take a sample right now.” Podoim said slowly. They reached into their arm cavity to pull out a syringe to prove their point. Hadrizahens sat up more straight in alarm. There was no reason to threaten the Traveller when it was clearly open to bartering. Besides that, he was certain it was sacreligious to threaten a Traveller.

The Traveller was unphased and unafraid. In fact, it almost seemed tired. “I do not wish any ill will, and I have a great respect for the Korvax… but please. Do not force violence upon me. I will respond in kind.”

Podoim stopped and stared at the Traveller, the light of their visor tracking the movement of its hand as the Traveller reached to its side. Its hand rested upon the multi-tool resting in its holster and patted it gently. Podoim understood the Traveller’s meaning. “What did you have in mind?”

The Traveller then gestured with one hand to Hadrizahens, who was surprised to be suddenly included in the conversation once again. He thought he had been all but forgotten at this point in the verbal confrontation between the Traveller and Podoim.

“I want repairs. Without notifying the trade outpost. I will replace all supplies used.” 

Podoim’s visor flashed yellow in annoyance briefly as they looked down at Hadrizahens. Hadrizahens knew how this must look to the scientist. With a request like the one the Traveller had made, it made it seem as though he and the Traveller had been conspiring to keep Hadrizahens out of trouble with Taudi all along. But they hadn’t. There was no such discussion. The Traveller had settled on these conditions all on its own, and Hadrizahens would be a liar in the face of The Atlas if he denied that he was utterly grateful for it.

“...A reasonable trade. It is logical that I would be the one to repair Merchant Assistant Entity Hadrizahens regardless.” Podoim reluctantly agreed, clearly trying to sound as though he had not been defeated. “I will not report to the trade outpost. I will require your assistance bringing Merchant Assistant Entity Hadrizahens to the Observatory. Once there, we can discuss your biological sample donation and then proceed with the repairs.”

Hadrizahens felt relieved to hear Podoim’s consent to the trade. He would be able to avoid getting into a lot of trouble this way. Even if Podoim’s repairs were to take a long time, Hadrizahens would still have the chance to come up with some sort of excuse for his absence. There would be plenty of time on the trek to the Observatory for Hadrizahens to come up with multiple excuses, should he need them. He might still get into trouble, but he knew how to stretch the truth for Merchant Entity Taudi in order to lessen their anger. He might just be able to pull off this entire misadventure with only a few weeks of extra chores, which was much better than he could have ever hoped up to this point. The visit to the Traveller had certainly not gone according to plan, but at least Hadrizahens wouldn’t have to pay for it as dearly. Besides, extra chores would do nothing to put a damper on his mood now that he knew that he had found favor with the Traveller, especially when Podoim and Taudi had not. Nothing could possibly stop this high now.


	5. False Prophet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scientist Entity Podoim has a very backwards way of adhering to the deal he agreed to with the Traveller. Jealousy and spite are powerful, if not dangerous driving forces, as Hadrizahens learns.

The walk from the Traveller’s base to the Zadank Observatory was a silent one. Hadrizahens should have appreciated the time to calculate the best fabricated story to excuse himself to Merchant Entity Taudi, but the awkward peace proved almost too oppressive for him to focus. The beginning of the walk had started out less uncomfortable, at least in the social sense. Physically, it had been very unnerving for Hadrizahens. He couldn’t walk for himself with his melted knee joint, so Scientist Entity Podoim and the Traveller Entity had to carry him with his arms latched over their shoulders. Being so close to Podoim unsettled Hadrizahens, especially when he knew that the scientist was also not enjoying themselves. To add to the tangled feeling in his wires from Podoim being so physically close, Hadrizahens had to come to terms with the fact that the Traveller Entity was on his other side, taking much more care to keep him comfortable and support him more smoothly during the walk. It sent excited electrical impulses through his casing that were quickly stifled as soon as Podoim took a rough step along the grassy path. It was almost as though Podoim was doing it deliberately, though Hadrizahens had no way to know how or why.

At first, Podoim had deemed to ask the Traveller many questions about its physiology. Such questions were not considered impolite to an electronic lifeform, but many who worked with sentient organic lifeforms regularly knew that certain questions were to be avoided, or at least approached with tact. Some biological creatures were self conscious about their systems based on societal constructs. Hadrizahens had heard of a species in a far off point in the galaxy that considered their process of energy conversion to be vulgar to discuss in a public and formal setting. Hadrizahens dreamt of becoming a Biologist Entity, so of course he would know of these factors to take into consideration. Podoim, however, didn’t seem to be aware of this level of decorum, or they didn’t seem to care. Unfortunately, the latter seemed more likely.

At first, the Traveller had answered Podoim’s questions as best as it could. When asked about it’s natural epidermal structure, the Traveller gave a brief and confusing explanation. When questioned about it’s pedelections or lack thereof to radiation, it answered simply but still without elucidating fully. The answers began to annoy Podoim, so they had began to ask more intrusive questions by the time the trio had proceeded out of the valley plateau. The path took the three of them along the edge of a mangrove that was created by a river that ran through the Zadank jungle in this lower part of the planet’s geography. Unlike the marshes, this area was large enough to filter the almost stagnant waters with the help of beautiful purple and red aquatic plants and the roots of the mangrove trees with their pale bark. The aquatic life flourished on the reddish algae that floated in the water, fed by the sunlight. Schools of fish and crustaceans of all kinds swam around the waters, grazing on the plants and flitting back into the safety of the spidering mangrove tree roots whenever a predatory avian lifeform swooped down to the clear, red tinted water to snag a tasty morsel to carry back to its nest in the tree. As the birds flew back, they sang beautiful songs to their mates to signal their homecoming. The Traveller seemed much more interested in listening to the songs of the birds than in Podoim’s interrogation. Hadrizahens couldn’t blame the Traveller for that. Podoim was insistent and nothing seemed to satisfy his hunger for data, even though it was very clear that the Traveller lacked the words required to describe its biology to the mechanical lifeform. For all Hadrizahens could guess, perhaps the Traveller was simply too advanced of a biological entity for either of the Korvax present to comprehend.

Eventually Podoim gave up on questioning the Traveller, though it was clear that they were not pleased to do so. Hadrizahens could sense Podoim seething next to him and wished that only the Traveller was carrying him, though he would never truly wish that entire burden on the Traveller. Hadrizahens simply disliked how petty the scientist would behave at times, if he dared to even think such thoughts. Hadrizahens was intimidated by the scientist. When Podoim had first come to Outpost Rugo-395, Hadrizahens had been overjoyed to have a potential opportunity to switch his formal designation over to a scientific field. The excitement did not last long. Podoim was uninterested wholly in Hadrizahens and only in Merchant Entity Taudi, and the Merchant Entity was not particularly fond of Hadrizahens or his daydreaming. Podoim learned early on from Taudi that Hadrizahens was not an entity worth acclimating to. Which made the fact that Hadrizahens had to cling to Podoim to keep from slipping onto the path and potentially rolling into the mangrove all the more discomforting. Luckily, they would not have much farther to go.

The Zadank Observatory was nestled on top of a hill in a clearing of the mangrove, just on the edge of the jungle. It was a large structure, complete with a large, high powered telescope on one end and a biological/chemical research lab on the other. The facility had a sterile interior with black floors and white walls covered in heavy mechanical equipment for all sorts of data collection, which resulted in the building itself to be quite heavy. The constant superheated rainfall on Cireenob XV made it a challenge to build in the mangrove, but Scientist Entity Podoim had been able to devise a way to dig support struts deep into the earth to keep the observatory in place should the ground decide to give way. Most importantly, this innovation had not upset the Sentinels. This made the Zadank Observatory an ideal location to acquire samples of all kinds thanks to the biodiversity of the mangrove and jungle area, as well as astrological and meteorological data from the clear air thanks to the trees. Hadrizahens had to admit that he was jealous of the scientist, even if he didn’t get along with them.

As the trio finally approached the Observatory, the weather was already starting to change. Desperate to focus on anything other than Podium brooding or the Traveller taking such great care in moving Hadrizahens, the young Korvax looked towards the sky. He might have seen traces of light emerging from the horizon as daybreak steadily approached, but the trees blocked the sky quite well even in the clearing. His scanners confirmed what his sensors were already picking up; clouds were gathering in the sky and the atmosphere pressure was starting to change. In this warm and humid climate, it didn’t take a storm long to form. But they were approaching the Observatory, so there was no need to worry about superheated rain rusting out the unprotected internal circuitry of his body.

“This is the Observatory?” The Traveller finally spoke for the first time in almost 20 minutes, surprising Hadrizahens.

“Correct. The Zadank Observatory and my own outpost. I will be able to take the proper samples I require here without risk of contamination.” Podoim answered. “...and repair the Merchant Assistant Entity as well.”

Hadrizahens watched the Traveller, who had been staring directly at Podoim, nod approvingly.

“Remember our full trade.” The Traveller reminded Podoim.

Podoim seemed agitated by the Traveller’s words as they approached the ramp up to the observatory entrance. Hadrizahens was suddenly shifted unceremoniously onto the Traveller as Podoim approached the doorway to enter in the access code. It was a good thing that the Traveller had been keeping an oddly close eye on Podoim as soon as they had the observatory in sight, otherwise it might have dropped Hadrizahens as soon as he was handed off. Hadrizahens was thankful that the Traveller had caught and held him up easily, even if he was embarrassed to be suddenly thrust upon the biological entity like some sort of peace offering. 

“I will repair the Merchant Assistant without alerting Outpost Rugo-395. I will make no report to the Merchant Entity. I will not tell them of what occurred.” Podoim spoke almost resentfully. Hadrizahens knew that the scientist would love nothing more than to make a report to Taudi about Hadrizahens’ misadventure. The only thing stopping them was their promised biological sample and the weapon that the Traveller carried with it. Neither Hadrizahens nor Podoim were certain if the Traveller would use a firearm on either of them for any reason, but neither of them were willing to find out. Weaponry unsettled standard, civilian class Korvax. It was enough of a deterrent all on its own. Still, something seemed off with Scientist Entity Podoim. Hadrizahens could sense their irritation, as Hadrizahens was well acquainted with that side of the scientist, but there was something else. The way Podoim took their time entering the code into the control panel made Hadrizahens uneasy. The scientist seemed too confident. As soon as the door unlocked and slid open, Hadrizahens understood why.

Inside the main entryway of the Observatory, in the main reception room, sat two figures. Two Korvax. Harizahens felt his insides sink as one of them turned around and got to their feet.

“Merchant Assistant Entity Hadrizahens, you abandoned your post and neglected your recharge cycle. Behavior; unacceptable. Your negligence will cost the outpost in efficiency. Your repairs will set us behind schedule.” Merchant Entity Taudi spoke in an even tone that Hadrizahens knew was difficult for them to maintain. The only thing saving him from a true outburst was the presence of the Traveller. Taudi dare not raise their voice and cause a scene. It wouldn’t be proper. The Traveller, however, seemed not to agree with keeping composure.

“What is this?” The Traveller spoke up, turning to glare at Podoim. “We had a deal!”

“I kept my end of the bargain. I did not report to Outpost Rugo-395. The Traveller Entity accompanied me to the observatory, so you know I am not fabricating a story.” Podoim answered smugly. There was very little effort on Podoim’s part to hide how they felt. They crossed their arms, quite pleased with themselves, as they stared back at the Traveller. The Traveller seemed to bristle under its exosuit, gripping Hadrizahens tighter either protectively or out of anger. Truthfully, Hadrizahens didn’t mind staying safely over at the Traveller’s side if Taudi and Podoim were both conspiring against him. 

“Then why are they here?” The Traveller asked, jabbing a finger at Taudi and the second figure. Hadrizahens recognized it as an apprehensive Orzhoku. They seemed unhappy to be complicit in Taudi’s accusations of disloyalty and insubordination, and clearly wanted to stand up and explain themselves to the Traveller. Scientist Entity Podoim didn’t give Orzhoku the chance.

“They were informed of the situation before our trade was made. I saw Merchant Assistant Entity Hadrizahens antagonizing the Sentinels and made an immediate report to the trade outpost before I intervened. There was no report detailing the repairs I would make upon arrival to the Observatory. Out of technicality, Our deal still stands intact.” Podium explained shrewdly. They held out a hand as a gesture to take Hadrizahens off of the repair that had been promised. It was woefully inadequate as a show of good faith after the sleight he had just pulled.

The Traveller gave Scientist Entity Podoim along, hard stare. It was clearly estimating Podoim’s wealth of character, or lack thereof, and judging them accordingly. With a small shake of its head, the Traveller relinquished and helped Podoim bring Hadrizahens all the way inside the observatory. 

Hadrizahens avoided Taudi’s gaze as he was placed carefully into one of the chairs, not daring to speak up on his own behalf. Whatever plans he had made to get himself out of this mess were dashed as soon as the door first opened. He didn’t have anything that might be able to save him now. He did chance a glance towards Taskmaster Orzhoku, who seemed sympathetic to Hadrizahens’ situation. There had been a moment where he had thought that maybe the elder Korvax had snitched to Taudi on him, but it was obvious now that this was not the case. The Elder Korvax’s visor faintly glowed in a blue color as they watched Hadrizahens make himself as comfortable as he could manage. 

“Now, for the matter of the biological sample…” Podoim said, turning towards the Traveller almost greedily.

Unimpressed and still cross, the Traveller once again stared at Podoim blankly. The Scientist had no real way to gauge how the Traveller was perceiving them, but Hadrizahens could almost swear that it was with complete disdain.

“Yes. Of my choosing.” The Traveller said, pushing away the needle that Podoim had already pulled out once again to collect with. The four Korvax watched with a level of awe and curiosity as the Traveller reached to the neck of its exosuit and unhooked a small latch, then pulled down a zipper… there seemed to be a series of things needed to detach the exosuit from its body. Without undoing the front zipper any further than the protective chest plate that the Traveller bore, the Traveller reached into the exosuit and through one sleeve with its opposite arm, struggling with something within. Was there some way that the Traveller could give up a biological sample of its own accord without the use of the syringe? What sort of biological sample would it be? Hadrizahens found himself almost excited by the scientific mystery before him. After a few more seconds of struggling, the Traveller pulled his arm free and held a thin cloth stained with a dark rusty red colored substance. “A biological sample.”

Podoim looked taken aback, then their visor flashed several times to show their clear annoyance. A tainted biological sample was not at all what they were hoping for. Hadrizahens knew even before the scientist found the words that they would be voicing their displeasure. Podoim snatched the unraveled cloth strip from the Traveller’s hand and scanned it quickly.

“This is hardly laboratory grade; there are contaminants present.” Podoim exclaimed.

“It was contained in my suit. The contaminants are natural to my biology. It is a good puzzle for a being of science to work through.” The Traveller said with very little remorse in its voice. It was clearly satisfied with stooping to Podoim’s level of trickery and pettiness, and Podoim had no room for complaints. Not after what they had pulled with the Traveller. They knew that they had to accept this sample and follow through with their bargain, and it angered them greatly. “Now start the repairs.”

Podoim’s visor blinked several times and they made a mechanical noise of utter frustration as they turned towards the laboratory. The cloth would need to be placed in containment to prevent further contamination, and Podoim needed tools and supplies. The Traveller said nothing as the scientist stomped down the hallway and into the laboratory beyond. Hadrizahens knew that Podoim would take their time returning on principle alone, but there was also a very good chance that the scientist Korvax was taking extra time to vent his heated systems. Podoim did not take well to being outsmarted. Certainly not by an organic lifeform, even if that lifeform happened to be a Traveller.

Podoim was not the only one to have become agitated by the exchange. Though they were not involved with the deal, Taudi was a Merchant Korvax by trade and did not appreciate a deal being fulfilled so cheaply. Nor did they appreciate that Podoim was the one being cheated. Of that, Hadrizahens was certain. It was unlikely that Merchant Entity Taudi would engage the Traveller directly, as they had more proprietary sense than the scientist, but Hadrizahens braced himself for the oncoming storm no matter what shape it would take.

“It is completely illogical for this result to occur.” Merchant Entity Taudi scolded, causing Hadrizahens to sink back into his seat. He knew he would be the target for Taudi’s anger. “A core scan should be conducted to search for malfunctions.”

“This result was unforeseen by my calculations…” Hadrizahens said quietly, knowing that there was nothing he would be able to say to truly calm his superior.

“Unforseen? What calculations were being run? Your processor is faulty. Outcomes for leaving the outpost during a recharge cycle without clearance range from inefficiency to complete loss of revenue! Classifiable as divergence.” Taudi snapped.

Hadrizahens froze. Taudi certainly knew how serious it was to accuse another Korvax of Divergency. It had never occurred to Hadrizahens that Taudi might take his running off so offensively. If deemed Divergent enough from the Convergence, a Korvax’s sentience and life was forfeit. A dissonant mind was a hindrance to the collective, if not an outright danger. It was one thing to be forced offline by a traumatic physical occurrence such as being caught in a nuclear powercell meltdown, or being on board a crashing ship, but to be rejoined with the Convergence by force? For committing a high crime against Korvax society that he didn’t even feel remotely guilty of? It terrified him. He didn’t know how an Echo was extracted from a casing by force. When a Korvax passed, he had the impression that it happened smoothly and without any struggle. But to have his essence ripped away while he fought to hold on? It seemed as far from pleasant as anything he could imagine. 

Desperate to defend himself from this fate, Hadrizahens spoke up. “It is not Divergence! This is not the cause of this behavior. It is not the result of it. I didn’t intend to decrease efficiency for the outpost!”

Taudi stared at Hadrizahens, falling eerily silent for a few seconds. It was almost as though a suspicion had been confirmed for him. “Merchant Assistant Entity has analyzed the most problematic portion of the scenario to be the abandonment of post?”

Hadrizahens was again at a loss for words. He was growing truly afraid now.

“Merchant Assistant Entity Hadrizahens was recorded fleeing from enraged Sentinels. Innocence in the face of this scenario is implausible at best. Action must have been taken to receive the consequence of The Atlas’s judgement.” Taudi said gauntly.

True fear gripped Hadrizahens then. He was being threatened with disconnection and now with committing religious crimes. Seeing how the religious beliefs of the Korvax were intrinsically tied to empathetic behavior and connection to all forms of life, there was no way to argue against religious laws. Not with any hope of sounding like anything but a monster. “But I am innocent! I did nothing-! I was attacked…”

Merchant Entity Taudi did not seem impressed by Hadrizahens’ implications. It sounded as though he was denouncing the Sentinels themselves, which even Hadrizahens knew sounded like madness. “Now you claim your fabrications are true? You assert that you are to be believed over the Sentinels? You? This is Divergent madness!”

“It is true.” 

Hadrizahens felt a hand rest on his shoulder, pulling him from the spiral of panic that he had begun to fall into. Standing firmly beside him was the Traveller; the only other being that had a hope to defend him.

“How can it be true? The Sentinels protect The Atlas’s creation. They do not engage in hostility unprovoked-”

“Yes, they do.” The Traveller interrupted. “I have seen it before. A sickness spreads through their minds. They become hostile. They attack all that might be considered a threat. It is a virus. A corruption. It will spread here. They will attack you, too. You are not safe. You must leave.”

“Leave?” Merchant Entity Taudi repeated, giving a voice to the exact same question in Hadrizahens’ mind. “What illogical madness is this? We are stationed here. Where would we go?”

“Away from this planet.” The Traveller said incredulously. It seemed to not fully understand why this concept was difficult for Taudi to understand.

Merchant Entity Taudi erupted into a deep, grinding laughter, taking both Hadrizahens and the Traveller aback. The Traveller had claimed knowledge of this exact scenario, and Hadrizahens had seen proof of it himself. His imobile leg was proof enough. But Merchant Entity Taudi seemed to think it all as laughable.

“Evacuate the planet? Completely illogical. With what space worthy vessel? With what money? Outpost Rugo-395 is our station and we shall remain until called back by the Korvax Trade Federation.” Taudi said firmly.

“But you are in danger!” The Traveller urged.

“According to you.” Taudi replied, heavily insinuating that the Traveller’s credibility was in question over the actions of the Sentinels. Hadrizahens knew better, even if Taudi did not. He watched nervously as the Traveller inhaled in anger, zipping its exosuit back up aggressively.

“Fine. Believe what you will. I have given you my warning.” The Traveller said angrily. “Do not expect me to save you when you are proven wrong.”

And with those ominous words of prophecy, the Traveller departed from the observatory in a rage. Hadrizahens watched until the door closed behind the Traveller once the motion sensors stopped picking up its signature with a feeling of dread that grew in the pit of his circuitry. Without the Traveller present to elaborate what had happened, not that Taudi or Podoim had any interest in listening, Hadrizahens would be at the mercy of his superiors’ judgement. 

“We should have calculated that the Traveller Entity was untrustworthy.” Taudi spoke with a deeply judgemental tone. “No commissary of The Atlas would seek out violence willingly.”

“The Traveller Entity is not untrustworthy! Nor is the Traveller Entity dangerous!” Hadrizahens spoke up in defence of the being who had so readily defended him throughout the entire evening. He regretted saying anything when Merchant Entity Taudi turned their visor towards him quickly. The lights behind the screen were glowing an angry orange color.

“Merchant Assistant Entity Hadrizahens has been taken in by the false Entity’s lies.” Taudi chidded angrily. They bore down on Hadrizahens, causing the young Korvax to shrink where he sat submissively. Hadrizahens knew he was in the right, but he also knew there was no way to convince Taudi otherwise. “This entity is a lucky one.”

“Why call Merchant Assistant Entity Hadrizahens lucky?” Scientist Entity Podoim inquired. The soft purr in their voice provoked a glare from Hadrizahens. The young Korvax knew the Scientist was enjoying themself. Podium was the one who incited all of this unnecessary drama. The level of irrational jealousy that the scientist Korvax was capable of was bordering on repulsive now that Hadrizahens was doubly at the center of it. Podium was usually content to ignore Hadrizahens entirely because there was no competition between the two of them for Taudi’s attention. But now, since the Traveller had come to their small community, Hadrizahens had somehow gained its favor, and it was obvious that Podoim was displeased. Hadrizahens knew that Podoim wanted a very strict punishment put into place for Hadrizahens’ desertion of his post.

“Because Merchant Assistant Entity Hadrizahens could have become Divergent by following a false Traveller. They were only injured and not completely destroyed. Had The Atlas or the Convergence willed it, Merchant Assistant Entity Hadrizahens would be an Echo, not an Entity.” Taudi explained sharply. “Merchant Assistant Entity Hadrizahens is too insignificant and bumbling to incite the true wrath of the Sentinels. Blame for a full out attack is illogical when placed on them.”

“What is to be done now?” Podium asked. It was clear that they were unsatisfied with the acquittal of Hadrizahens’ guilt, but they were quite pleased with Merchant Entity Taudi’s assertions of Hadrizahens’ incompetence. 

“Merchant Assistant Entity Hadrizahens will be repaired, then restricted to their quarters except for janitorial duties until their mind is clear of the False Traveller’s influence. The Virus must be cleared from their processor.” Merchant Entity Taudi said sternly, looking back at Hadrizahens. The color on their visor had not faded from the orange yet, so Hadrizahens knew that he could only accept his punishment gracefully. No matter how much proof he offered that the Traveller was not a false prophet, or that the Traveller was telling the truth about the Sentinels, it would do nothing in changing Taudi’s mind. He was defeated.

“...Affirmative.” Hadrizahens hung his head out of respect to Merchant Entity Taudi’s decision, and to hide the uncontrolled shift in color of his own visor. He knew he wouldn’t be able to keep his feelings to himself, he knew that they were too strong to prevent himself from displaying yellow on his visor even for a brief moment. This was Scientist Entity Podoim’s doing. He felt a deep hostility towards the scientist for interfering, but even more so for their blind envy. Podium had to know that the Traveller was right, especially after admitting to watching what had happened at the Traveller’s base from the observatory. Yet, the scientist had decided that the risk was worth ignoring in favor of outdoing Hadrizahens. He hoped, for Podoim’s sake, that his perilous wager against the truth would prove fruitful.


	6. 6. Count the Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hadrizahens recieves council over a choice he must make. The Traveller has confirmed that the planet will be in grave danger once the mad Sentinel swarm spreads, and Hadrizahens now has a chance to leave the planet for good. But will he be brave enough to make the decision, or will he let his fear and guilt keep him from obtaining his dreams?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SORRY FOR THE HIATUS. THE CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEARS SEASON ALWAYS KICKS THE CRAP OUT OF ME, BUT I AM BACK.

Hadrizahens listened to the rain battering the roof above his private quarters somberly. It had been a long day of extra chores for him as punishment for running off in the middle of the night to confide in the “Divergent” Traveller Entity. The designation of the Traveller had changed since the night before; Merchant Entity Taudi had decided that calling the Traveller “false” was perhaps an insult to The Atlas. Not that it made any impact on Hadrizahens’ situation. He had been confined to his room by Merchant Entity Taudi as soon as the repairs had been made to his leg, and he was only allowed to leave if his assistance was required. Hadrizahens could only guess what Merchant Entity Taudi was attempting with this particular form of corrective action, but his assumption was to try to get the young Korvax back on track in his place of servitude. Scientist Entity Podoim must have voiced concerns about Hadrizahens becoming Divergent. The fear of Hadrizahens becoming Divergent due to a Traveller’s influence would be enough to worry Taudi into placing Hadrizahens under room arrest. After all, if Hadrizahens became Divergent and turned away from the Convergence by choice, Taudi would be down an assistant. And that was too much for Taudi to process financially.

Hadrizahens supposed he should be grateful that he was only being held against his will and not somehow forcibly extracted from his casing. Divergency had a tendency to become infectious, as the power of a mind can influence others. That was why it was dealt with rapidly within the Korvax community. It was one thing when a mind got lost from the Convergence by accident, but to have one turn away willingly? As Hadrizahens was almost accused of? He considered himself lucky that he was getting away so easily.

However, it still upset him deeply. It wasn’t just the fact that he had been accused of lying and upsetting the Sentinels, but it was also that Podoim and Taudi were utterly deaf to the Traveller’s warnings. The trading outpost was in danger and no amount of spared revenue from keeping it in this location would save them from the wrath of a madenned Sentinel attack. Hadrizahens had seen for himself what just a small swarm of Sentinels were capable of. Even if the two other Korvax didn’t believe a word of what he or the Traveller had said, Hadrizahens didn’t wish any harm to befall them. He didn’t know what to do. He looked down at his formerly damaged leg, marveling at the expert work Scientist Entity Podoim had done in making the repairs. It appeared as though it had never been damaged in the first place. It also didn’t appear as though it had been recently repaired with brand new parts, but beggars could not be choosers. Hadrizahens was content with being mobile once again. Even if it meant owing Podoim a favor in the future. He knew that the scientist would not allow Hadrizahens to get away with a free favor.

He stood up and walked towards the window in his room, waiting for the lens that covered the glass to sense his movement and open for him to stare outside. The sensors on the window lit up quickly and the window lens retreated into the frame. The sky was still dark and the rain showed no signs of stopping soon. A bolt of lightning streaked across the sky as the rain kept pouring onto the cylindrical roof and washing down the sides. The weather was oddly fitting for his unrest. At least the super heated lightning and the boiling rain that Cireenob XV were known for would keep other inhabitants inside and safe from any further rogue Sentinels.

Hadrizahens jumped in surprise when he heard the door unlock and open behind him, having been lost in his own forlorn calculations and predictions for the future. He spun around quickly, ready to stand at attention for whomever was walking inside. Should it be Merchant Entity Taudi, he did not want to risk angering them further by being caught in the middle of a daydream. It was inefficient and a waste of energy. With his head held up and hands at his side, Hadrizahens waited to be addressed. It was not Taudi who entered the room, but Taskmaster Orzhoku.

“What chore has Merchant Entity Taudi sent you to instruct me to do?” Hadrizahens asked promptly. He felt confident that this was what the odd visit from Orzhoku must be about. After all, it wasn’t as though the old Korvax could be paying him a friendly visit. Orzhoku had remained absolutely silent during the testimony of the Traveller, and when Hadrizahens had been reprimanded by Taudi. He was still bitter that the elder Korvax hadn’t said a thing on his behalf.

“I am not here on Taudi’s behalf. I am here on your’s.” Orzhoku explained dismissively, waving their hand in the air as though to dispel any such conceptions.

Hadrizahens could not help but be suspicious of Orzhoku’s motives, not after Orzhoku had rolled over helplessly like an organic beast displaying its belly in defeat once Merchant Entity Taudi had begun raving about the False Traveller. “Elaborate.”

“Entity Hadrizahens…” Orzhoku began heavily. The older Korvax invited themself further into Hadrizahens’, moving with an unexpected fragility. Perhaps it was the weather and the humidity wearing on the ball joints and gears of the old taskmaster. Hadrizahens had never known Orzhoku to be a spritely Korvax during the time that he had spent on the outpost. Orzhoku’s casing was worn and old and in need of a complete overhaul, but this sluggishness was different. There was something greater than rusted panels and gritty wires that wore Orzhoku down. Without another thought, Hadrizahens quickly stepped out of the way to offer the elder Korvax a seat in the chair that was positioned next to the window. Seeing Orzhoku struggling the way they were washed whatever bitterness remained in his systems away completely. Orzhoku accepted the offer wordlessly and lowered themselves into the chair. Hadrizahens thought he could hear a creaking sound as the casing settled.

“Things certainly do seem to be going sideways, don’t they?” Orzhoku commented with levity that went unappreciated by Hadrizahens. Some Korvax could not detect the nuances of sarcasm, as there was no use for it within their native culture. Hadrizahens was not one of these Korvax, he just didn’t appreciate the use of it at this moment.

“I suppose your assessment is accurate…” Hadrizahens said, watching the older Korvax carefully. He wished they would just get to the point of why they had stopped for a visit, but he knew it would be rude to rush them. Orzhoku was still classified as a superior to Hadrizahens within the workforce hierarchy on this outpost, after all.

“When I first sensed the unrest coming over our planet, I felt it would have been wise to warn you about it. I know you have an inquisitive mind, and I did not wish any harm to come of it. But I had no way to know that the unrest was coming from the Sentinels themselves…” Orzhoku began speaking. It seemed as though they were continuing a conversation that they had started on their own. “Thank the Atlas the Traveller was close by to rescue you from them.”

Hadrizahens took a moment to determine how to respond. He was shocked to hear that the strange feeling that Orzhoku was having could be traced back to the Sentinels themselves. Or was it? It was true that the Korvax lived in harmony with the Sentinels, as they were the enforcers of the Atlas itself, and the protectors of the Atlas’s creation… but it seemed nonsensical that Orzhoku could have detected the change in them. It had to be folly, or sheer coincidence. Orzhoku was old, their systems faulty. The disturbance that Orzhoku felt could have just as easily been the early monsoon they were currently trapped in. More importantly, though, was the realization that Orzhoku did, in fact, believe the testimony of Hadrizahens and the Traveller. Perhaps it should not have come as such a shock to the young Korvax, as Orzhoku was far more reasonable than Taudi and Podoim. But why hadn’t Orzhoku said anything if they believed what Hadrizahens and the Traveller had reported?

“You are surprised that I take you at your word?” Orzhoku mused after the long silence from Hadrizahens, evidently deeming the time they had given the young Korvax to think about everything long enough.

“Well… yes.” Hadrizahens admitted simply, not knowing what else to say.

Orzhoku chuckled and leaned back in the chair more comfortably. They folded their hands across their chest and watched Hadrizahens closely, taking note of his reactions. “I have no reason to distrust you. You are an honest, hardworking Korvax with no malice in your programming. There is no motive for you to agitate the Sentinels. Nor is there any reason to believe that you would out of boredom or a sudden flush of delinquency. Besides that, the Traveller Entity was on your side. Adamantly so, I would state.”

“I suppose…” Hadrizahens admitted. He hadn’t given much thought about how aggressively defensive the Traveller had been about Hadrizahens last evening. From protecting him from the Sentinels to protecting him from Taudi’s accusations… He suddenly felt rather unworthy. He was just a simple merchant assistant entity, which was just a glorified way of saying janitorial entity. What made him so worth standing up for in the eyes of a deity?

“You have gained the Traveller’s favor whether you intended to or not, Hadrizahens. This much is certain. Even Merchant Entity Taudi and Scientist Entity Podoim see it. Perhaps that is why they punish you so greatly for a transgression you never committed.” Orzhoku began to ramble thoughtfully, following their new tangent for a moment. But something brought them back suddenly. A change fell over the elder Korvax as they fixed Hadrizahens in their gaze. “There is no point in denying it as they have. Not now. Not when this might be your only chance.”

Was Orzhoku finally and truly losing their grip on reality? Was the humidity affecting their processor? Hadrizahens shifted uneasily under Orzhoku’s sudden scrutiny. “My only chance at what? What are you trying to communicate? Further elaboration is required.”

Orzhoku spoke once more, indulging Hadrizahens’ request, but with a darker tone. “You saw it for yourself, Young Echo. The Sentinels swarmed and attacked you without warning. Had you allowed it, they would have reduced your casing to nothing more than melted slag.” 

Hadrizahens shuddered involuntarily at the fearful memory. It was still too close in his short term memory banks for him to not respond as though he were reliving it. But Orzhoku’s words did not alleviate Hadrizahens’ confusion. “Why do you speak of this?”

“The Traveller confirmed; this planet is not safe. Not anymore. Not for long, at least. A sickness is spreading here, and as long as we remain, we will be in danger.” Orzhoku explained darkly. Hadrizahens couldn’t escape the piercing gaze of Orzhoku’s visor or the piercing truth of their words. This was the concern that was eating away at Hadrizahens’ background processing power since he had returned from the observatory and it was just as inescapable as the look that Orzhoku had fixed Hadrizahens with.

“What compels you to speak with me? I have no authority. Exchange data with Merchant Entity Taudi.” Hadrizahens said quickly, hoping to dismiss Orzhoku and relieve himself of the burden of Orzhoku’s stare and their words. He couldn’t look directly at the elder Korvax, but he could feel that Orzhoku did not share that same issue.

“Merchant Entity Taudi won’t listen to reason outside of his own revenue projections, you know that. And Scientist Entity Podoim is too enraptured by his biological discoveries to answer any communications. Instead, I will listen to the words of The Traveller. Their wisdom and bravery will guide my actions now. I will do what I can to assist the Favored Entity.” Orzhoku said with a conviction that reverberated deep inside of Hadrizahens’ casing. It was haunting. On one hand, it sounded as though Taskmaster Orzhoku had seen a glimpse of the truth of the Atlas. On the other, it seemed as though the moment Orzhoku was reasonable and sound of mind, they began spouting utter nonsense.

“What are you talking about?” Hadrizahens was almost afraid to receive an answer.

“During one of my rest cycles, I endured a strange projection. I thought it might have come from my own faulty processor at the time, as it was… inane… utter illogicality and calculations that strung off to nowhere. Mathematical impossibilities. I dismissed it once I powered on the next solar cycle, but it did not leave my memory banks. Despite my best efforts to delete the useless data, I was never able to compel myself to destroy it completely. I thought my processor was finally failing and that this casing would finally give out on me, that I would be allowed to join the Convergence after my long stay in this physical form… but now I have doubts. With everything that has occurred in these last few days, I am starting to think that it was not the product of a failing processor, but a sign. A vision.” Orzhoku explained with an odd desperation.

Hadrizahens had serious doubts about the validity of Orzhoku’s claims, but at least the elder Korvax seemed to be aware of how insane it all sounded. “It could still be. The statistical probability of events coinciding with a failing processor’s projections are just as likely as being gifted a vision. You are no Priest Entity, Orzhoku. There is no reason to assume that what you saw was a prophecy.”

Orzhoku grumbled impatiently, shaking their head at Hadrizahens. They seemed frustrated with the lack of Hadrizahens’ good will and trust, or maybe frustrated with themself for thinking Hadrizahens would accept their words so easily. “You do not believe me, and that is logical of you. I should be glad that you do not mindlessly chase after whatever folly crosses your mind, Young Echo…”

Hadrizahens felt the disappointment behind Orzhoku’s voice, whether or not Orzhoku meant for it to be there. It upset the young Korvax, though he did not know why. It might have been because the elder Korvax had trusted him, but he had not extended the same courtesy. But how could he? Orzhoku was a former merchant, now taskmaster, at an outpost on the outer rim of the galaxy. Why would they be chosen as a vessel of the Word of The Atlas?

“...None of this data is probable, Taskmaster Entity Orzhoku…” Hadrizahens said gently, hoping to comfort the poor, old automaton. He reached a hand out gently to lay it on Orzhoku. 

“Probability be damned.” Orzhoku snapped, pulling away from Hadrizahens. Their visor once again fixed Hadrizahens in that unsettling gaze of pure determination. Mixed with the proclamation of near heresy, Hadrizahens was frozen to the spot. “You did not listen to me, Entity Hadrizahens. You do not hear. Open your processor. Run the statistics on our scenario; A Traveller has arrived on our planet, out of all of the planets in the galaxy. A Traveller. Here. Just as the Sentinels began to lose themselves. A Traveller arrived on this planet for business, then left for that business, but returned in time to save the life of a young Korvax entity they had met at one of the numerous trading outposts on the planet’s surface. Tell me the numbers, Hadrizahens. Do the calculations on how likely it is that you would gain the favor of one of The Atlas’s Chosen, and that they would save you from certain death.”

Hadrizahens ran the calculations quickly, out of fear. It was an automatic response to being ordered by a superior. He was given a mechanical command and he responded automatically, but he was still a sentient being. He heard what Orzhoku had said. He understood the words and the implications. It flustered him. It made him afraid. Orzhoku was speaking in utter madness, but the calculations didn’t lie. Calculating how many solar systems were contained within the galaxy, how many planets, how many outposts on each planet, on this planet, adding in the likelihood of the Traveller being in this quadrant, the likelihood of the Traveller being at the right place at the right time, for each variable to fall perfectly into place for them to be where they are now. Hadrizahens was drowning in numbers. His vision was swimming with the variables and statistics. He couldn’t see. His coolant systems started to kick in, desperately trying to keep his casing from overheating as he frantically ran the numbers and came up with more variables. It was too much. No Korvax was meant to calculate the infinite. He had to shut down the calculations or be lost to them forever. His body heaved and expelled a loud puff of steam as he canceled his task. He weakly looked up at Orzhoku, understanding what the older Korvax was trying to say.

“I-... I can’t… it’s impossible…” Hadrizahens stuttered. His vocal processor was struggling to function correctly as he cooled down. He had the feeling the lights in his visor were flashing as well. “It’s a logical infallacy to assume that the odds of these stream of events-…”

“...Are more likely to be a wild coincidence than it is to believe that this was meant to be.” Orzhoku finished stoically, not looking away from Hadrizahens. “The calculations don’t lie, Hadrizahens. I ran them as well.”

Defeated and exhausted, Hadrizahens hung his head and heaved a deep sigh to help cool his body. “...So you had a vision… what did it tell you? What are we meant to do?”

“Unfortunately, Young Echo, there is no ‘we’ now.” Orzhoku said softly, placing a hand on Hadrizahens’ head. 

Hadrizahens looked up at Orzhoku suddenly, a great fear gripping him. “Elaborate. Now.”

“Do not be concerned for our safety, Hadrizahens. Your path simply leads elsewhere.” Orzhoku explained comfortingly. The tone did indeed put Hadrizahens more at ease. “The vision showed me things that not even the Convergence would have knowledge of. I did not understand the raw data at the time, but I feel confident enough to extrapolate a loose meaning given our new context.”

“What does the data tell you?” Hadrizahens asked again, becoming impatient. If only Orzhoku would get to the point more promptly. Especially with information as critical as this.

“...How do you feel about space travel, Favored One?” Orzhoku said with a jockular tone to their voice.

Hadrizahens understood what Orzhoku was attempting to imply with their deceptive levity. He sat up quickly and stared at the older Korvax, disbelief plain in his actions. “Your implications border on dissidence to The Atlas, Taskmaster Entity Orzhoku.”

Orzhoku chuckled again and waved a hand dismissively. “I do not think The Atlas will be offended by the business of its Travellers, Hadrizahens.”

“I will not leave this outpost, Taskmaster Entity. I am designated to stay here and complete tasks for the sake of the community on the outpost.” Hadrizahens said firmly. He didn’t dare to entertain the thought of leaving. He couldn’t. If he allowed to imagine that possibility, he would not be able to return to working at whatever meaningless task Taudi assigned him to. It was too dangerous to entertain.

“The outpost will survive without you to scrub the organic slime off of the solar panels, I’m sorry to say. We managed before.” Orzhoku explained with a tone of sympathetic amusement. “It is perhaps time for Merchant Entity Taudi to remember the value of manual labor, rather than ordering another lifeform to do every task for them.”

“Merchant Entity Taudi would never allow this…” Hadrizahens spoke bitterly as soon as his superior was mentioned. And it was true. It wasn’t that Taudi intentionally kept Hadrizahens from being happy, it was just that Taudi and Hadrizahens had two differing opinions on what was a hallmark of success and efficiency. Taudi’s designation was as a merchant, and they fit that role perfectly. Hadrizahens’ designation was as Taudi’s assistant, and if Hadrizahens was to be perfectly honest with himself, that designation gave him no joy whatsoever. It wasn’t Taudi’s fault that Hadrizahens wanted more out of his existence than what he was given, but Taudi would never see things Hadrizahens did. There would be no reasoning with the merchant Korvax. 

“Who cares about that computerized menace? Merchant Entity Taudi has the creativity of a standard datapad. You cannot expect them to comprehend the experience of a lifetime.” Orzhoku scoffed, surprising Hadrizahens. It wasn’t that Orzhoku was wrong in his character assessment, it was more that he was shocked that another entity agreed with him about Taudi. “You have the option to stay stagnant at this outpost, or go and see the universe. Why is there any hesitation in your decision? This is the logical best option. Especially for you.”

Hadrizahens had a moment of panic. Did Orzhoku know about Hadrizahens’ aspirations? He had tried to keep them secret, for fear of being called out as Divergent. As a member of a society with a shared consciousness, he should be grateful and pleased to serve whatever position he was given. Wishing for more was not only selfish, but a sign of higher individualistic thought. He had worked so hard to keep these things to himself. How could Orzhoku possibly know?

“I don’t know what you mean.” Hadrizahens said quickly, trying to hide his impulsive reaction.

Orzhoku wasn’t convinced, but neither was he upset. Instead, he spoke with a level of soft endearment. “I know what your Echo longs for, Hadrizahens. You have managed to fool Taudi and Podoim only through the virtue of their disinterest in your free time. But I’ve seen you since you first came to this outpost. A bright new mind full of wonder and awe, so many questions, and so much in love with the ways of the universe… I’ve seen you cataloguing the lifeforms on this planet when you complete your tasks. You were not meant to be stranded on the outer rim of the galaxy, dealing with shipments of goods for strangers. You were meant to explore.”

“But my designation-...” Hadrizahens began to argue.

“Means nothing.” Orzhoku interrupted. “Designations can be changed, but who you are cannot. The Atlas does not make mistakes. You were meant for this.”

Hadrizahens could not deny to the old Korvax that his deepest longings were of leaving this planet far behind him and seeing the expanses of the limitless universe. He wanted to discover and to explore. He wanted to add to the knowledge of the Convergence. He wanted to see it all. But this was not the longing of life forms such as Korvax. Somehow, he knew it was different. He knew it was deeper. It made him afraid.

“This feels like Divergent thought…” Hadrizahens admitted, knowing by now that it was foolish to keep his thoughts and feelings to himself. Orzhoku had made him feel silly too many times by now by reading him instantly. “...What if this is the beginning of Disconnection?”

“The Convergence reaches everywhere in the galaxy, Hadrizahens. It goes wherever you go because it is within you. If you keep in close to you, you will not lose it. Divergency is a choice, Hadrizahens. A Korvax must choose to turn their back on the Convergence. If they are lost, they have the choice to return. You will not lose the Convergence unless it is of your own will. Every Korvax who has been lost to the Convergence has done it of their own choosing.” Orzhoku explained gently. Hadrizahens already knew all of this, at least in part, but it was still comforting to hear. “Even if you should lose the Song of the Convergence, you will not be alone, Favored One.”

“This is not a proper new designation…” Hadrizahens muttered softly in response. It still felt wrong to make assumptions for the Traveller, or to pretend to know their mind.

“Well, it doesn’t make it less true. You do have the Traveller’s favor.” Orzhoku said.

“Favor is not equivalent to companionship. You are confident in your assertions that I will convince the Traveller to take me with them. There is no reason for them to. I am a merchant assistant entity by official designation. A more suitable companion for a Traveller would be a merchant entity, or a science entity such as Taudi or Podoim.” Hadrizahens admitted almost bitterly.

“The Traveller Entity finds Scientist Entity Podoim distasteful for wronging you and is clearly repelled by them, and Merchant Entity overcharged the Traveller for supplies. The Traveller has no reason to trust either of them. But the Traveller is drawn to you. I believe they can see you for what you are meant to be.” Orzhoku explained patiently.

Aside from being utterly shocked that Podoim would overcharge the Traveller for basic supplies, Hadrizahens was still unmoved by Orzhoku’s words. Though he did agree that the Traveller was right in not trusting either Podoim or Taudi. “What reason would the Traveller have to accept me? It is illogical for them to take on a complete stranger, even if one has no reason to distrust them outright.”

Orzhoku settled into the chair once again, their casing making a groaning sound as they moved. Hadrizahens watched curiously as Orzhoku scanned through their memory banks for the appropriate response. 

“In the vision that I had, I was given an understanding of a thing that I did not yet identify. As I said before, I now have the context required to extrapolate some sort of meaning. This is what I have come to conclude;  
We know that the Travellers are of The Atlas. They are venerated above other life forms, as it is said that they came from the Atlas directly, unlike you or I. Our race’s origin begins with The Atlas, but each Traveller comes from The Atlas itself. They possess abilities that we cannot fathom, they know truths we do not, and they are held above by every race across the galaxy. Wherever their restless thirst for exploration takes them, they are treated as beings beyond comprehension. As perhaps they should be.” Orzhoku explained.

“Yes, of course…” Hadrizahens interrupted, “But I know of this. I know the story of the Travellers and why they are to be worshipped and respected. Why reiterate?”

“To bring a new perspective to your attention with the proper CONTEXT, Hadrizahens.” Orzhoku said insistently.

“What perspective?” Hadrizahens asked.

“That of the Travellers themselves. That was what I learned in my vision, Hadrizahens. Imagine being created from nothingness, born into existence spontaneously, and then set out upon an infinite universe with only one purpose; explore. For you, it may sound like a blessing, but you were born into a society, you were born with companions. Travellers are few and far between. They have no culture, no society, no home. They wander endlessly, searching… and for what? We don’t know. What if they are also unaware? What must it be like to go from world to world, seeing so many species with somewhere to belong? What must it be like to make contact with other beings, only to be deified and worshipped instead of understood?” Orzhoku watched Hadrizahens closely, waiting for his understanding.

Being a Korvax, Hadrizahens had never experienced what it meant to be truly alone. The collective mind of his race had always been with him. From the moment his Echo was breathed into existence and housed within his casing, he had always been connected to his own kind. It was such a comforting, whole feeling for his race that being separated from this connection was collectively the greatest fear of his kind. Imagining what Orzhoku had just described was impossible, simply by virtue of what he was, but he understood what Orzhoku was saying. 

“...Travellers must be very lonely…” Hadrizahens finally spoke, his voice barely above a whisper. He couldn’t bring himself to speak more loudly due to the weight of what he had envisioned. The Traveller that visited their outpost had seemed so friendly and welcoming. Now Hadrizahens understood why. 

“Indeed.” Orzhoku nodded gravely. “That is why I believe you have a chance. Your Echo is strong, Hadrizahens. It will not fail in the face of adversity. I have seen it, and the Traveller must have seen it as well. There is something in you that draws the Traveller to you. You are a restless Echo of the Convergence, and I do not think the nomadic lifestyle of a Traveller will take its toll on you as it might upon me.” 

“I’ve never left this planet… not since arriving here…” Hadrizahens spoke softly, still hesitant to make such a permanent decision.

“But you have fantasized about it.” Orzhoku teased softly.

“Running scenarios in one’s own mind is not comparable to taking action…” Hadrizahens retorted, trying to sound more confident than he felt. He couldn’t deny now that he had wanted to live a life of exploration, but it was easier to dream than it was to face the reality. Reality had consequences. Unknowns. 

“True, but you are a clever Korvax. I am not concerned for your safety. You have a strong mind. You have both creative thought and logical reasoning as your tools, which makes you quite an unstoppable force. You will find a way in the galaxy. It may not be the most obvious path, but this is the path to begin on. I know it. There are too many variables to make this a coincidence.” Orzhoku teased Hadrizahens once again.

Orzhoku was right. Hadrizahens had run the numbers himself. But numbers did nothing to dispel his unease, or his guilt.

“What about the Sentinels? What about the outpost?” Hadrizahens asked finally. It felt wrong of him to run away with a Traveller like he was part of some sort of fairy tale. Not when he had responsibilities to his fellow Korvax. Especially not when he was running away to save himself and leave behind other companions. Though he was not overly fond of Merchant Entity Taudi or Scientist Entity Podoim, he did not wish anything to happen to them. He would do whatever he could to keep them from being hurt. Besides the two of them, there was Taskmaster Entity Orzhoku. The thought of leaving them behind to a crazed Sentinel swarm was far more than he could allow himself to do. 

“That is not for you to worry about, as it is not part of your path. Leave that to me.” Orzhoku began to say. Hadrizahens tried to retort, to say that Orzhoku couldn’t possibly hold off a swarm of Sentinels, but Orzhoku stopped Hadrizahens from speaking. “What good will your presence here do? You will not be able to stop the Sentinels any more than I will. You will not make a difference. The only thing your presence here will accomplish is to make Merchant Entity Taudi even less likely to listen to reason. You would just be a constant reminder that you disobeyed their wishes and were rewarded with the favor of the Traveller Entity for it. No amount of time or data will allow Taudi to change their mind about that as long as you remain here. They are too stubborn. Once you are gone, I will influence Taudi. I have some authority here, even now. I will convince them to evacuate when the time comes.”

“Are you sure you will be able to?” Hadrizahens asked.

“No, but I will not risk my own casing if Taudi continues to be as stubborn as a rusted rivet.” Orzhoku reassured Hadrizahens. 

A sensation of sadness washed through Hadrizahens as soon as he realized that he had no further fears to voice or statements to stall with. He met Taskmaster Entity Orzhoku’s gaze with his own, their scanners fixed on each other. Hadrizahens felt a connection with the older Korvax in that moment. He could feel an affection in Orzhoku that he had never noticed before. It did nothing to assuage his guilt, but he understood that Orzhoku would not allow him to stay. 

“...Then… i suppose this is goodbye…” Hadrizahens finally spoke. It took careful monitoring of his functions to ensure that his voice remained steady. Why should he be the one to escape with the Traveller? Why couldn’t they all leave? Why did he have to leave Orzhoku behind? Hadrizahens identified these feelings as preemptive loss, and he knew the implications of it. Korvax should not have such feelings. There was no logic in missing another Korvax, as they were all bound together through the Convergence. But identifying and understanding the feeling did not help Hadrizahens to chase it away. He knew how he felt, and he knew that he would miss the older Korvax. Especially now that it was so apparent that they had been taking care of him from the very beginning. 

Hadrizahens thought that he would never find a way out of his sorrowful thoughts, until a tight grip on his shoulder shook him out of his own mind. Orzhoku was still observing him closely in that unwavering gaze that Hadrizahens no longer felt unsettled by.

“You will do exceptionally.” Orzhoku affirmed to the young Korvax. Hadrizahens rested his hand over Orzhoku’s as soon as the old Korvax’s grip tightened further, clasping it in return. The two Korvax stood and stared at each other for a long time. To every living creature on the planet, it would appear as though the two sat in utter silence. They could not detect the reverberating echoes that passed through the two life forms. They couldn’t hear the buzz of the electronic voices, moulded together and singing in perfect harmony through the reaches of time and space. The connection was made of the souls of biomechanical life energy, and they were the only ones who could join in the song. They were the only ones who needed to hear it. The song rose and fell with the pulsing of energy between the two entities, it was alive like they were and it bound them together. Finally, it faded and they were left with silence, but the echoes of the song stayed inside of them. The bond would not fade easily, as they were as close to family as biomechanical life could be.

“Do not keep the Traveller waiting for long, young one.” Orzhoku instructed, giving Hadrizahens’ shoulder plate one last pat. It weighed heavily on Hadrizahens, but his conviction did not fade. “Your Echo shines brighter than any of the others on this planet, and it is now time to share that light with the rest of the galaxy. Go, Young Echo. Go see the stars. Count them for me.”


	7. Explorer Entity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hadrizahens' has one last chance to escape his home planet for good. All he has to do is convince a complete stranger, and a pseudo-deity, that he is worth taking along. Unfortunately, the Traveller Entity seems reluctant to comply. Something is weighing heavily on the Traveller's mind. Hadrizahens will have no choice but to talk the Traveller out of their own better judgement.

Hadrizahens raced down the path from Trade Outpost Rugo-395 as quickly as his legs would allow. He didn’t look back. If he did, he might have lost his nerve to keep going. He carried nothing with him, as Korvax had very little need for personal belongings with sentimental value. The only thing of personal value that Hadrizahens possessed was the data he had collected on the flora and fauna of Cireenob XV, but that data was all stored in his memory banks. All of the data could easily be downloaded to a datapad if he so chose. There was no time for him to pack, anyway. Now that the Traveller’s mission with the Mercenary’s Guild was completed, there was no reason for it to linger on the planet. For all Hadrizahens knew, the Traveller could be making the final preparations to leave the temporary base for good. Hadrizahen’s only saving grace was that the Traveller would have a difficult time packing up and deconstructing all the base structures should it be interested in departing in the current downpour. The hot rain still showed no signs of letting up soon, and most of the native organic life that did not evolve any protection against the rain was taking shelter. Hadrizahens assumed there would be a good chance that the Traveller would be as well. Then again, the hostile Sentinels might make for a good incentive to risk the weather and prepare for departure anyway. There was no way for Hadrizahens to know for certain, so he decided against risking the journey at a slower pace, even if the rain made the grass slippery and the earth soggy. Hadrizahens had survived a sprint between the two locations before, and he liked his odds of survival much better for this trip. There was less laser fire so far.

The rainfall proved to be the only challenge that Hadrizahens had to face in his trek across the plains. He had not anticipated the conditions to be so poor, as he never ventured far outside of the outpost during weather such as this. The fetid bog had become a stinking pond thanks to the runoff from the hills surrounding it. All of the stones and little islands of dirt Hadrizahens had used to cross the night before were either submerged in water, or far too wet and slippery to risk leaping across. Without any real traction, Hadrizahens would risk slipping into the water with one wrong step if he attempted to leap across the widely spaced bits of exposed land. With rocks just below the surface of the water, any one of the more solid parts of his casing could crack on impact, and his systems might flood with bog water. He had no choice but to wade through the opaque water carefully. Moving quickly forced his feet deeper into the mud at the bottom of the mire. Finding it difficult to pull himself free from the muck and the weeds, Hadrizahens had to slow his pace even further to make it across. Using reeds growing on the banks of the other side, he hauled himself out of the bog onto the slope of the ridge. He had hoped for a respite as soon as he was free of the water, but the ridge proved to be no easier to conquer. His feet were caked with mud and slime and the hill was soaked from the rain. Small streams of water from the runoff formed and tumbled down the hill, under the long grass where Hadrizahens could not detect it. More than once, he chose his footing poorly and nearly tumbled back down into the bog with the rain water until he learned to climb the hill with both his hands and his feet to help him grip. The result was him reaching the top of the ridge covered in mud and bits of grass from head to foot. He looked an absolute mess, but he cared little for his appearance at the moment. The rain would wash all of the plant material and the earth away.  
He was tired, he was dirty, and his casing was starting to overheat from activity and the temperature of the rain, but Hadrizahens had made it. He could see the Traveller’s base from his vantage point. The rest of the journey was literally downhill. Looking down more carefully into the valley, Hadrizahens saw that the Traveller had not yet finished deconstructing its base, nor had it even finished packing up materials that were scattered around. There were multiple green storage crates littered around the base alongside much smaller red containers that weren’t present the night before. The Traveller must have been getting ready to pack before the rainstorm had hit, and then taken a break to avoid the weather. Hadrizahens was certain that the Traveller’s exosuit could handle the weather on this planet; it appeared to be well enough made and upgraded, but technology such as internal temperature regulators weren’t capable of generating perpetual energy. It took a fair amount of charge to maintain a hazard suit, especially if the organic life form within could only survive in a very specific temperature range. It was much more efficient to take a break and save on energy costs by waiting inside the structure for the scalding rain to cease. At least, that was Hadrizahens’ initial assessment. He was, however, incorrect in his assumption. Though visibility was low through the deluge and the profuse amounts of steam it caused, Hadrizahens did manage to spot some movement at the base. Apparently, the Traveller had only just gone inside temporarily for something. The doors of the base opened, allowing the Traveller to walk outside while carrying one more of the small, red containers. It placed the container next to a few others just beside its spaceship and turned to go back inside. 

Something must have caught its eye. Perhaps a flash of lightning or a roll of thunder, but the Traveller suddenly looked up towards the ridge where Hadrizahens was now attempting to scurry down from. If the loose dirt had been difficult to keep a balance on before, it was impossible now that it was wet and eroding. Hadrizahens only managed to proceed about two meters before the dirt crumbled and gave way beneath him. A large hunk of the ridge started slipping down to the valley with poor Hadrizahens on top. All the young Korvax could manage to do was fall on his rear and slide down with the muddy earth. His landing was unrefined and horribly messy, and he found it almost impossible to get back on his feet. The mud had laid to rest at the bottom of the ridge, where a pool of rainwater had been gathering. The resulting mixture of substances created a slurry that was as slick as oil. Covered in mud, flustered, and rushed, Hadrizahens couldn’t regain his composure enough to find himself a good footing in the mess he had caused. And in front of the Traveller, no less. Why had the Traveller seen him? Why couldn’t the Traveller have been focused on packing instead of witnessing Hadrizahens’ entire shameful descent? Part of Hadrizahens desperately wanted to lay in the mud and simply let it swallow him up and out of sight of the Traveller. It was a tempting thought, but one that he decided against. He returned to his clumsy attempt to free himself of the mud, taking each step slowly and carefully. Once he thought that he had finally got a foothold thanks to a more gravelly patch of mud, the gravel slipped out from under his feet and he fell backwards, bracing for impact.

A strong pair of hands stopped him, gripping his wrist tightly to keep it from slipping away from the grasp. While Hadrizahens had been focused on his own embarrassment and attempting to shuffle out of the mud, the Traveller had made it over to Hadrizahens’ little mud puddle and had bravely deemed to rescue him from humiliating himself once again. The attempt to save Hadrizahens was almost more than the Traveller itself could handle, though. Not even The Atlas’s Chosen had the power to stand against a puddle of slick mud-clay. Hadrizahens felt the Traveller start to slip around in the mud as well. The shockwaves from the Traveller jerking around to maintain its own balance kept Hadrizahens from correcting his. Finally, the mess of soupy earth at their feet became too much for either of them to manage, and they both tumbled ungracefully into the brownish muck. Mud splattered over both of them as they sat defeatedly in the hot puddle. The two were silent for a moment as they contemplated how foolish they must have looked, and how they were both bested by wet dirt, until Hadrizahens came out of his own embarrassment to realize whom he had just dragged into the messy pool with him. The realization was far more mortifying than any of the wild gestures he had made to keep his balance had been.

“Please forgive me-! I did not mean for this to happe-...!”

The Traveller held up a hand to silence Hadrizahens, who fell immediately quiet. He did not want to offend the Traveller further. Not now. He had already done so much to make himself seem more troublesome than he might be worth. 

He was shocked when he heard the Traveller begin to laugh. At least, Hadrizahens assumed it was a laugh. He wasn’t familiar with-... whatever species the Traveller happened to be. All he could do was sit in stunned silence as the Traveller continued to make the laugh-like sound until it wore itself out.

“You are very prone to accidents.” The Traveller observed, still chuckling as it rolled out of the mud. Hadrizahens watched it get back to its feet and shake some of the mud from its hands before holding them straight out in front of itself to allow the rain shower to wash them further.

“...It’s not my intention to be…” Hadrizahens muttered, still embarrassed. He couldn’t tell if the rise in his internal temperature was from the weather, or from something else. He hoped it was the weather. If not, he could still excuse it as the weather. He got up as well, though much slower and more subtly. He didn’t want to draw any more attention to himself than he already had. In truth, he was ashamed enough to go back to the outpost and never speak to the Traveller again. He had made a fool of himself almost every time they had spoken. But he didn’t dare return a failure. What would be more embarrassing? Continuing to speak with the Traveller now, or returning to Taskmaster Orzhoku and explaining that he had fallen in the mud and immediately returned because he was too upset? Hadrizahens decided to take his chances with the stranger.

“There are no Sentinels this time.” The Traveller offered gently, clearly trying to keep the mood light and make Hadrizahens feel better. 

“You are correct…” Hadrizahens admitted appreciatively. It wasn’t much to calm his nerves, but he was thankful for the Traveller’s gesture to make him feel better.

“So, if Merchant Assistant Entity Hadrizahens is not in danger, why do they visit?” the Traveller asked, crossing his arms expectantly now that the rain had washed them clean. There was no spite or malice in the voice of the Traveller, as Hadrizahens had come to expect when being asked a question. The Traveller wasn’t attempting to interrogate him, it was genuinely curious about Hadrizahens’ answer.

Hadrizahens was too stunned to offer a response at first. Had the Traveller truly recorded Hadrizahens’ full designation to memory? Even when Hadrizahens had only proved himself at best useless and at worst an annoyance? He was flattered and flustered. He wasn’t sure he would be able to respond… but he had to. He simply was unsure where to begin. “I had a request…”

“One you will name? Or keep to yourself?” The Traveler pressed, though not impatiently. It seemed to find Hadrizahens… amusing? Endearing? It was impossible to say. 

The Traveller had no idea what Hadrizahens was about to ask of it. Did Hadrizahens even dare? Maybe he would explain Taskmaster Orzhoku’s vision to the Traveller. Then again, perhaps he shouldn’t. How often did lifeforms harass the Traveller claiming to have seen visions? He wished he had come up with any sort of plan, or anything to say at all. Anxious thoughts buzzed around in his processor, sending his circuits overloading with unused energy. It was too much. He had to say something. The Traveller was waiting on him and he was making a fool of himself.

“Let me come with you.”

Hadrizahens watched in dismay as the entire demeanor of the Traveller suddenly shifted. It had appeared so cordial and engaging a moment before, but now it stood silent. Its body tensed up as it stared at Hadrizahens for a very long, painful stretch of time. Hadrizahens now knew what Orzhoku meant when they had said that the Traveller clearly favored him. He had never seen the Traveller visibly bristle towards him before.

“It is unwise for me to take in strangers.” The Traveller answered slowly. “You should stay here with your work.”

“Traveller Entity estimated before that the probability of deadly Sentinel attack would increase until it was unsafe for any Korvax to remain on the planet!” Hadrizahens spoke in alarm, knowing that he had to do something to change the Traveller’s mind. Right now, there was no hope of getting off of the planet with the Traveller’s help.

“That is true…” The Traveller backpedalled slightly. “Though that was not an invitation.”

“Was it not? Did the Traveller see a space vessel at Trade Outpost Rugo-395? How are any evacuations expected if none present can make it off of the planet’s surface?” Hadrizahens pressed, becoming even more desperate. “Without any sort of space craft, there is no way to evacuate. The others wish to say, but I do not.”

This seemed to get the attention of the Traveller. Hadrizahens watched as the biological entity shuffled and fidgeted in place. It was a clear physical reaction to help it try to think of any sort of rationale to use against Hadrizahens, but they both knew there was no excuse. The Traveller had shown its benevolent side too many times to leave Hadrizahens to his fate. That was what Hadrizahens had been banking on. Why bother saving someone from the Sentinels if you were going to leave them to die later on from the same sort of attack?

“...I can take you to a space station. You can find a place to go after that.” The Traveller finally conceded.

This wasn’t good enough. Not for Hadrizahens. He didn’t know a damn thing about the universe outside of his outpost. At least, not a thing that would help him to find a new place to go or a new job to take on. He’d need a new designation and the training required to operate it. But Hadrizahens knew that, if he went to a space station to seek a new designation, he would not receive one. If he wasn’t sent back to Outpost Rugo-395, he would be shipped off to a different trading post and given the same job. This wasn’t at all what he wanted. Not when he had sampled the elation of being free to explore an entire universe unfettered. It was everything he ever dreamed of. He wouldn’t settle for less. He couldn’t settle for less.

“I want to stay with you.” Hadrizahens said more firmly, though even he knew it sounded unconvincing.

The Traveller tensed again. “This is not an option.”

“Why not? Theoretical predictions and probabilities state that this is a significantly valid outcome. A preferable outcome. It would be in your benefit-”

“In my benefit? To take in a Merchant Assistant Entity?” The Traveller interrupted again, trying to stop the argument before it gained any further traction. “There is no need.”

“Redesignate me.” Hadrizahens suggested quickly. He had no idea where the idea had come from, or how he had come to it so quickly. Perhaps it was better if he didn’t calculate what he was saying to the Traveller beforehand. 

The Traveller stared at Hadrizahens in confusion. It’s helmeted head tilted to the side as it observed Hadrizahens like a new, more complex entity. Perhaps it did not know how designation and task assigning worked in Korvax culture. “...What?”

“The Traveller Entity holds enough esteem in Korvax society to redesignate an Entity at will, and that designation will be believed and respected.” Hadrizahens explained. He wasn’t actually sure that the Traveller had that sort of social sway, but what Korvax would dare to question it? If a Traveller referred to Hadrizahens with a different designation, who would try to correct it? It was a perfect plan. And Hadrizahens knew how to follow up his first suggestions with more ideas. Ones that would prove to the Traveller that he could be of use. “Redesignate this entity as an entity of science. I have experience in cataloguing lifeforms. The data is very useful and can be accessed for your benefit at any time.”

“I already have a Scientist Entity.” The Traveller said flatly.

This startled Hadrizahens. He wasn’t sure what to say now. The Traveller had come to Cireenob XV alone, so Hadrizahens had assumed that the Traveller was completely alone. So had Taskmaster Orzhoku. The Traveller had also referred to the scientist as though it were Korvax. It had called the individual a Scientist Entity, and no other creatures went by that phraseology for designations. Where was this scientist that the Traveller spoke of now? Was Orzhoku’s vision wrong? What was Hadrizahens supposed to do now?

“I am honored that you want to help, but I have no need. I must return to the stars soon. I will leave you at the Space Station.” The Traveller shook its head and turned on its heel. As though to emphasize that its decision was final, the Traveller also bent down to retrieve a container from the muddy ground. It must have dropped the container while trying to help Hadrizahens from falling into the mud earlier. Hadrizahens watched helplessly as the Traveller continued with its business.

“You won’t take me with you? You won’t even consider the positive outcomes?” Hadrizahens pleaded, stalling for time while he desperately tried to think of what might change the Traveller’s mind.

“No need.” The Traveller repeated. “I do not need a Korvax.

Hadrizahens felt the moment slipping from his fingers faster than the mud had washed out of his hands in the rain. He was losing his chance to join the Traveller. It was a once in a millenia chance, he knew it, and he was letting it go. He had to do something. He had to say something that would change the Traveller’s mind. Something to convince it of his worth as a companion. He didn’t want to go back to the outpost to keep scrubbing the floors for Merchant Entity Taudi while Scientist Entity Podoim watched and teased him. He didn’t want to be a customer service entity. He wanted something more. He was meant for something greater, he HAD to be. But what could he do? There was only one thing he could think of. It was a stretch, and it was risky. He didn’t wish to trigger the Traveller, but he could see no other options. 

“The stars must be lonely, even with a scientist entity. You are still alone.” Hadrizahens tried to keep his voice as even as he could. He had to commit. He couldn’t afford to ruin his one last chance. He knew that he had crossed a line, inciting loneliness. He would not be able to come back from that line if he truly offended the Traveller.

The Traveller stopped, but only for a moment. Something in what Hadrizahens had said caught its attention, but it shook it off quickly. Hadrizahens could hear the tone of its voice lowering in an attempt to compensate for its moment of hesitation. He knew that he had the attention of the Traveller now, for better or for worse. “I am not alone. There are others like me. There are others who help me.”

“Where are they?” Hadrizahens raised his voice so he could be heard over the storm. He wanted the Traveller to be able to hear him clearly, both in word and in meaning.

“Elsewhere.” The Traveller answered shortly. It did not turn to look towards Hadrizahens. It was attempting to keep its composure, but Hadrizahens knew that this was a sign of its weakness. It felt vulnerable. 

Hadrizahens felt a pang of guilt in his core. He had chosen his strategy with the intent of influencing the Traveller on a more emotional level, but he hadn’t expected it to have such an impact on himself. There was a pain behind the stiff figure of the Traveller. One that Hadrizahens couldn’t have possibly predicted coming into this situation. He had thought that inciting loneliness could be his way into the Traveller’s party, but he didn’t know how deep the scar went. 

“You are alone, aren’t you?” Hadrizahens asked quietly, almost too quietly to be heard over the storm. 

The Traveller did not answer this time. But it had heard.

“There are others, but they did not accompany you to this planet. They didn’t help apprehend the bounty.” Hadrizahens spoke carefully. Not because he was afraid of missing an opportunity, but because he was genuinely sympathetic to the Traveller. The thought of leaving the planet with the Traveller was no longer what drove Hadrizahens’ words. Perhaps that was what made the Traveller more receptive now.

“They weren’t needed.” The Traveller answered. 

Hadrizahens knew what the Traveller had meant to say, what it had wanted to say. He felt an empathetic ache in his echo as he watched the once proud Traveller hanging its head, refusing to look in his direction. Orzhoku had been correct. It was as plain as the Traveller’s own broken responses.

They weren’t what the Traveller needed. 

“What are you looking for in the stars? Why does the Traveller Entity travel so far?” Hadrizahens asked softly.

“It is all I have…” The Traveller whispered. “...All that there is to me.”

Hadrizahens’ felt a strange pull, almost as though a magnet was being aimed at his midsection. His circuits felt both knotted but buzzing with energy. There was a connection being established. A Convergence, for lack of a better term, between them. Hadrizahens had no other term to describe what he felt, though it wasn’t a true Korvax Convergence. Hadrizahens began to understand that, even as such a venerated lifeform, the Traveller might be just as aimless as he was. Perhaps even just as afraid. They were similar enough for Hadrizahens to understand. A new question came to his mind, unbidden, but he felt compelled to speak it. Somehow he knew that it was the right thing to ask. Hadrizahens was unsure if the Traveller Entity could feel the same pull he was feeling, but if the Traveller did, this would solidify it for sure.

“What is your designation, Traveller Entity?” Hadrizahens asked. “What do you call yourself?”

“Me?” The Traveller asked, turning back around to face Hadrizahens as though for the first time. The Traveller’s face was still hidden behind the black tinted visor, but Hadrizahens knew that it was surprised. He could see that the Traveller was observing Hadrizahens in a completely different way. Perhaps the Traveller did sense what Hadrizahens felt. “No one asks me this question anymore…”

“Will you answer it?” Hadrizahens urged, wanting desperately to know the designation of the Traveller. Who was the Traveller? Why was the Traveller so lonely? He wanted to know. He wanted to discover. 

The Traveller hesitated, looking towards its base and space shuttle. There was a deep contemplation about the being, as though it was warring with itself. Hadrizahens saw the Traveller work through its own thoughts while he waited for an answer. He waited for any sort of response. His calm exterior hid the anxiety and excitement pulsing through his wiring. He felt like his systems were in overdrive. Why? Why was this suddenly so important? Why was he so drawn to the Traveller?

“...Perhaps a purpose can be found even when none can be seen, even against better judgement.” The Traveller finally spoke.

Hadrizahens blinked his visor light inquiringly at the Traveller, wondering what sort of question it was answering to itself. It wasn’t an answer to Hadrizahens’ question, that was for certain. “Elaboration required; your statement was not understood…”

“Help load the storage containers. We will depart as the weather breaks.” The Traveller nodded towards the other containers littering the area. Hadrizahens wondered if he dared speak up, but he didn’t wish to stop debating if he had not won the Traveller’s favor. He wouldn’t be tricked into being left behind on the space station. That was worse than being denied outright. The Traveller seemed to see his unrest and spoke again. “I will take you with and see if you are useful.”

Hadrizahens had never felt an elation like this before in his life. The surge of energy that coursed through his casing threatened to overload his system and blow every fuse in his body. He needed to regulate his power output, but he couldn’t stop himself from feeling so full of joy and excitement. The Traveller had agreed to take him with, even though Hadrizahens had done nothing to give himself a good impression with the Traveller outside of this singular conversation. Perhaps it was destiny. How else would he have been able to make such a connection with an utterly foreign entity? Did the Traveller sense it too?

“This is an optimal decision, one that will not be regretted. I assure you-!” Hadrizahens all but stammered as he hurried towards the Traveller. He stopped as he realized that, in his excitement, he had completely forgotten the orders that the Traveller had given him. Stumbling back, he grabbed one of the containers and then turned to follow the Traveller to its ship.

“You will do your best. I know.” The Traveller nodded, watching Hadrizahens out of the corner of its eye. He knew he was being watched, because the Traveller let out a little chuckle as Hadrizahens nearly fell on his faceplate after stumbling on rock and slipping in the mud. “Explorer Entity Hadrizahens seems eager to prove themselves.”

Hadrizahens lost sensation in his legs temporarily as he processed what the Traveller had said to him. He nearly fell once again out of pure shock and joy. It was only a balance warning that had flashed him back to his senses in time that prevented him from falling. A brand new designation. From a Traveller. And a very interesting and important sounding one, at that. “Yes, I will prove myself!”

“Good.” The Traveller said with a pleasant tone to its voice. “Traveller Entity Theus and Explorer Entity Hadrizahens… sounds like a good team.”

Hadrizahens didn’t think he could have gotten any happier, but he was wrong. A new designation, and now he had a name to address the Traveller with. It seemed so fitting. The designation must have come from The Atlas itself, because there was no way the Traveller could have any other name. Traveller Entity Theus… “Affirmative.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so ends the first installment of the series! It is a suitable and self-sustained ending with a world of possibilities ahead, I think... but that's not the true end. Oh no. There is more. Much more. So be sure to check back when I add the second arc to the series bit by bit. Hope to see you then. 
> 
> It's only going to get fluffier from here, folks. Once these two get on a ship together, the pining... OH THE PINING. It's gonna get worse and worse.


End file.
